Red light cams coming to New Haven

New Haven (WTNH) - A pilot program would allow red light cameras to be installed at 12 intersections in New Haven and drivers caught running red lights could get a ticket for up to $100. The program is being prompted in part by fatal accidents in the past.

It took a News Channel 8 crew less than a minute to spot someone running a red light at the intersection of South Frontage Road and York Street in the Elm City. Pedestrians here know they better look once - and then look again - to cross.

"It's rugged, you know," said New Haven resident Rob Davis. "Lot of traffic, people getting off work - and they fly through here.

So you may ask yourself, is this a real problem? Well, the next light cycle watched - News Channel 8 found another car running a red. The problem has gotten the attention of state legislators, who are now considering putting red-light cameras at certain intersections in New Haven. The pilot program, in which a still camera would take a snapshot of a car running a red, would be exclusive to New Haven, and is being backed by some aldermen.

"For over a number of years, the citizens of New Haven have identified traffic problems as something as paramount interest to us," said Alderman Erin Pascale-Sturgis. We need to find a way to solve the problem."

Putting cameras at intersections got a stronger push last year after the deaths of Mila Rainoff, a Yale medical student who was killed near South Frontage and York, and Gabrielle Lee, an 11-year-old who died after a hit and run accident on Whalley.

I think about Gabrielle Lee," said Sturgis-Pascale. "What if we had a photo of the guy that hit her? Maybe we would have him right now."

So be careful - it might now be a News Channel 8 camera that catches you in the act - but come fall, instead of being on television, you could get a $100 ticket.

"Hey, whatever keeps the safety for the kids," said Davis.