EVERETT — The speed ticket cameras near Horizon Elementary on Casino Road went active earlier this month. In addition, six red-light cameras will be installed at six locations.
The speed ticket cameras have had an impact.
City Traffic Engineer Corey Hert said that “we’ve seen a 70 percent drop in violations at the school zone photo enforcement location in front of Horizon Elementary on West Casino Road and expect another 70 percent drop off over time to 40-50 violations/day.”
“These systems continue to drop over the course of a year then (they) tend to level out,” Hert said.
The decision where to place the speed ticket camera was intentional. For one, the number of drivers exceeding the 20 school zone limit was “more than 95%.” Furthermore, about 70% of drivers drove over 30 mph.
Currently, the red-light cameras are not operating but will soon.
Six intersections in 2020 “had the most red-light violations” where the outcome ended in serious injury crashes. Last year, they were considered as among “Everett’s seven worst.”
Early next month, the red-light cameras will be fully activated. Thirty days after a grace period, warnings will be given to drivers. In July, citations will be issued to drivers. The cost will be similar to the ones for the speed-ticket cameras.
The first one is going to be located on 16th Street and Broadway. According to the city website, this street had the least crashes between 2015 and 2019. Yet, it had 14 red-light violation crashes, the same as the other five locations getting red light cameras.
Hert said that the goal “is to increase road safety through behavior change. By reducing the number of red-light collisions, we hope to reduce the number of serious injury crashes.”
Citations will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. The fine is $124 per ticket.
