Rochester city officials on Friday released a study which they say shows the four year old red light camera program has been effective in addressing issues of public safety.
The program is up for renewal, and Mayor Lovely Warren has asked City Council to extend it for five years.
City officials say an independent study shows that the cameras have reduced total collisions by 26 percent. And they say drivers have modified their behavior as a result of the program which involves cameras at 32 intersections. Between the three months after each camera's installation, and April 1 to June 30 of this year, red light camera violations dropped 30 percent.
Deputy Mayor Len Redon says the number one cause of traffic accidents is a driver running a red light, or ignoring a traffic signal.
Officials say that producing revenue is not the main purpose of this program, and in fact, they say if the current one million dollars in revenue dropped way down, they would not be bothered by that. They just want to see public safety improved.
City Council may take up the renewal issue at its regular meeting this coming Wednesday.
