Red light cameras to return to the Queen City

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte City Council approved a one-year pilot program to bring red light cameras back to the Queen City after a 20-year hiatus.

The Plaza at 36th Street is one of 10 intersections that will be getting a red light camera. The intersection has been at the top of many councilmember’s minds because of a recent tragedy that claimed the life of a former Queens University student.

There is a memorial at the intersection in honor of Lance Sotelo. Court documents say a woman ran the red light, fatally striking him in January. Councilmembers say these incidents are why red light cameras are coming back to the city.

“What we have seen as we have gone through this process of our research for this policy is that in our peer cities that have programs like this, there is a reduction when they use red light cameras,” Charlotte City Council Rep. Dante Anderson said.

Anderson chairs the safety committee. She says these cameras are proven to reduce crashes.

Starting sometime in 2027, you could be charged $75 for running a red light at 10 intersections across the city. Anderson says these areas have some of the highest crash rates in the city.

Those intersections include:

Graham Street & Norris Avenue
University City Blvd & I-85 Northbound Ramp
Steele Creek Road & Westinghouse Blvd
N Tryon Street and University City Blvd
Central Avenue & Sharon Amity Road
W.T. Harris Blvd & N Tryon Street
S Tryon Street & Arrowood Road
S Mint Street & West Blvd
Central Avenue & Kilborne Drive
36th Street & The Plaza

Melissa Evans lives on The Plaza, and she says she will feel safer walking.

“People love to move here,” she told Channel 9’s Eli Brand. “People love to walk, especially in the summer and in nice weather. I think having the red light camera on that street will help people be safer in general.”

The cameras are expected to make $4.5 million a year in revenue. The vast majority would go to CMS, but Anderson says the rest should cover the operating costs of the cameras. She adds that the program will be studied for a year and could end up expanding to nearly 40 intersections if it’s successful.

In the next 30 to 60 days, Anderson says a call for bids will be made to companies to see who offers the city the best price to install cameras. Once a company is chosen, they will scope out the intersections. The hope is to have them operational by the beginning of next year.