Correction: The red light cameras will take photos of a driver's face and they will be installed at select intersections across the city with an undetermined timeline. A previous St. Louis Public Radio report listed details about a previous version of the legislation.
Red-light cameras are coming back to St. Louis intersections.
Mayor Tishuara Jones recently signed a bill to reinstate the cameras – despite a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that deemed them unconstitutional.
Jones introduced the updated measure in September 2023 as part of a technology-enhanced safety plan. Board Bill 105 cleared the Board of Aldermen in April. Jones signed the automated camera enforcement act on Saturday.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis,” Jones said. “This bill gives the city and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department a new tool to curb traffic violence.”
The city began operation of red-light cameras in 2007. They were decommissioned for the first time in 2015. Judge Mark Neill ruled "the ordinance creates a presumption that the owner of the motor vehicle was the operator of the vehicle at the time and place of the violation.”
Accidents rose that year, according to both local and federal data.
Jones said it’s a necessary step toward a safer St. Louis, citing more than 100 traffic crash injuries in 2023. Changes to the bill will keep cameras from being struck down in court for a fourth time, officials said. If Jones signs Board Bill 185, the Board of Aldermen will regulate police use of surveillance technologies.
City officials aim to use these measures to make streets safer. According to the St. Louis-based nonprofit group Trailnet, pedestrian fatalities were down in 2023. Vehicle crashes, however, went up compared to the previous year.
Alderwoman Laura Keys, who represents the 11th Ward, was recently hit by a distracted driver while walking in the city. Keys said she advocates for safety measures but feels conflicted about this law.
“I really think the red-light cameras will affect people who are for the most part, drivers who follow the laws,” Keys said. “I have sons who drive, and so if I were to give them my car, and they were to get one of these tickets, do I have to disclose that it was my son who was driving the car so that he could get the ticket? Or do I just swallow the ticket?” Keys said. “This kind of changes the dynamic.”
Keys said residents are also concerned for their privacy. Red-light cameras capture an image of the vehicle, license plate and driver. Vehicle owners can also petition to have tickets removed from their record if another person was driving at the time of the violation.
The new cameras will be installed at strategic points within the city, aimed at curbing traffic violence.
