EVERETT — The city’s automated red light cameras at six intersections and speed zone cameras at Horizon Elementary on Casino Road will soon be in position, and all will be active by this summer. The school zone came went active April 3.
Lately, city officials have been preparing the public by visiting neighborhood meetings, and in later March visited the monthly neighborhood meetings for Lowell, Valley View and Pinehurst/Beverly Park.
Everett is emphasizing it’s using cameras to alter driver behavior, not make money.
Pedestrians being hit by cars and T-bone crashes between vehicles make up about half of the serious injury and fatal crashes on Everett’s streets, city traffic engineer Corey Hert said. Red light cameras have been shown to reduce these types of crashes
The city selected Horizon Elementary deliberately for the speed camera.
More than 95% of drivers exceed a well-marked 20 mph zone during school time — 70% of drivers pass by going more than 30 mph, Hert said. “It’s the highest speed school zone in the city,” he said.
The two school zone cameras will only monitor for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon when the flashing beacons are going. It takes two pictures at two points in the road and 12 seconds of video, and this helps a police officer determine if a driver traveled faster than 20 mph between those two points.
These cameras will begin operating in the first part of April, Hert said. There will be a 30-day window when just warnings will be given before the city starts issuing citations. Citations are $124.
Red light cameras
The six intersections to add automated cameras will be:
• Broadway at 16th Street, monitoring Broadway northbound and southbound
• Rucker Avenue at 41st Street, monitoring Rucker northbound and southbound
• Evergreen Way at Casino Road, northbound and eastbound
• Fourth Avenue W. at Evergreen Way, northbound
• Everett Mall Way at 7th Avenue SE, westbound; and
• 112th Street SW at Evergreen Way, eastbound.
In 2020, these six intersections had the most red-light violations which resulted in serious injury crashes. In 2023, the six ranked among Everett’s seven worst.
The red light cameras are expected to be activated this summer.
Where ticket money goes
The city’s best current estimates are there are possibly 22,250 violations a month happening today at the seven spots to get cameras, with half happening in the Horizon Elementary school zone. The city expects and hopes these numbers fall sharply after the camera program starts.
Everett deliberately set its citation price at the lowest allowed by state law, $124. Cameras have been shown to alter driver behavior and the city says that is its goal. The program is revenue-neutral.
The citation income is covering the cost of four full-time employees tied to the camera program: A police officer assigned to have final say on ticket infractions, a city court clerk to administer the program, a traffic technician program, a traffic technician and a traffic engineer to design safety projects from camera revenue.
The city would designate any leftover profit toward improving traffic safety.
“We will look at the best places” for traffic safety with that money, Hert said, and more studies are coming. An example could be more flashing beacons at pedestrian crossings.
In late 2022, the City Council approved a five-year contract with Novoaglobal for just shy of $504,000 a year.
The city held off on installing the cameras last year when it found out it would have to accommodate a much higher number of infractions, Hert said. For example, the municipal court received automation software.
The recordings are deleted after a set time.
Lastly, Hert said it is not anticipated the cameras will cause traffic patterns to divert into neighborhoods.
The city has a website with further information at www.everettwa.gov/photoenforcement
