SALISBURY, Md.- The Salisbury Police Department is trying to catch more motorists who drive through red lights. The department proposed a red light camera program to the Salisbury city council.
Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan says each ticket would cost drivers $75. The money from the tickets would go towards maintaining the cameras. It will cost the city almost $2500 a month, not including maintenance and other fees for 20 cameras.
Each camera will need to generate roughly 200 paid tickets a month to be even close to breaking even. The Salisbury Police Department has not released any details of where these cameras might go. Not everyone is thrilled at the idea. Denise Harden says she thinks the camera would be distracting.
“I don't think that it’s a good idea. I think that they can cause, in some cases, more trouble than they’re worth, they can actually create a traffic hazard sometimes when you’re driving,” said Harden.
Salisbury University student Christian Ciattei says he likes the idea. “It can’t hurt because of people driving under the influence or driving drunk,” said Ciattei. “If university students are a bit more aware, especially of financial incentives, I think that could change things about the way that people behave”.
Councilwoman Michele Gregory tells WBOC, right now the council is reluctant to spend the money, but once the Salisbury Police Department shows the city more data, the council will revisit the discussion.