Red light cameras are coming to Montgomery County.
Abington Township lawmakers voted last night to test drive the idea.
They'll install red light cameras at the following intersections:
- Old York Road and Susquehanna Road
- Old York Road and Old Welsh Road
- Moreland and Fitzwatertown Roads
The locations are near Willow Grove Mall and Abington Hospital.
A township official tells NBC10 that these intersections are difficult for police to catch red light runners because of the way in which the intersections are designed.
Although many towns have installed red light cameras claiming that they improve safety, some people in Abington tell NBC10 that they have concerns about the red light camera program.
John DiPrimio lives in Abington and operates a small business there. He says, “…red light cameras prevent the driver from due process. In all other circumstances one gets to face their accuser when charged with a crime. With these cameras you will not have the opportunity of cross examining your accuser since it is a machine…”
The vote to try out red light cameras was almost unanimous. Only one of the commissioners was against the idea.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The township will install the cameras as soon as they have the equipment. Once they're working, the program is scheduled to sunset in one year, unless commissioner vote to keep it going.
Red light camera tickets have been lucrative in the city of Philadelphia. With 108 red light cameras, the program, overall, issued more than $19.3 million in fines last year. Nearly half of those fines came from the top 12 red light intersections, which are all on busy streets. Those tickets alone generated more than $9 million in revenue last year.
