Red light cameras still an option, city leader says

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some city leaders think red light cameras could be a solution to motorists who drive dangerously, but this week, the city manager said he doesn’t want them coming back.

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However, the cameras may still be on the table.

Drivers in Charlotte encountered the cameras at traffic lights throughout the city for eight years.

The city got rid of them in 2006 after the court of appeals ruled 90 percent of revenue must be given to schools.

Now there's a push to bring them back

"I think it is something we should take a look at,” Greg Phipps, D-District 4, said.

Phipps chairs the transportation committee and said that he was surprised Monday when City Manager Marcus Jones said he wouldn't recommend red light cameras and didn't offer an explanation as to why.

He said Jones will present more information by  April on the topic, but his committee is still considering them as an option.

“It's not totally dead,” Phipps said.

A 2016 Charlotte Department of Transportation survey found 66 percent support red light cameras.

A spokesperson for the city manager said the reason he isn't recommending them is that data he's collected so far doesn't support them.