Fayetteville hopes more red light cameras mean fewer crashes

Fayetteville already has 10 red light cameras, including one at Bragg Boulevard and Cain Road that has resulted in about 5,000 tickets being issued to drivers since it was installed two years ago.

"Everybody, I believe, understands the seriousness that can occur from a T-bone-type accident, which is typically what it would be if we run a red light and create an accident," Fayetteville traffic engineer Lee Jernigan said. "So, it's an educational opportunity to tell folks of the seriousness of running a red light. We don't want to do it in our community."

Fayetteville was the second-worst city in North Carolina for vehicle crashes in 2011, according to state Department of Transportation data. After the first red light cameras came online, the city's ranking improved to 16th.

"I don't understand why you couldn't wait a couple of minutes for the light to turn green. It makes me upset sometimes when I see stuff like that," Benjamin Billaleande said.

"There's a light outside of where I live, and people run it all the time," Taylor Cauley said. "They're going like 40 mph, ripping through, and you have to wait at your green light to make sure no one's coming through."

American Traffic Solutions, the company that installs and maintains the cameras, has issued more than 33,600 tickets so far at $100 each. The company gets $35 of each fine, while Cumberland County Schools gets the other $65. To date, the district has received about $2.8 million from red light violations.

Jernigan said there are now fewer repeat offenders as well.

The city will start giving out warning tickets from the new cameras on Aug. 8.