Christie Defends Red Light Cams in Radio Segment

Asked during a recently-aired radio segment his opinion of the Red-Light Safety Camera Program across the state, Gov. Chris Christie said: "you are not going to get a ticket if you don't run a red light."

Residents in 18 towns where the cameras are located - Brick among them - have filed complaints that municipalities and American Traffic Solutions, which operated the cameras for the towns, didn’t meet requirements set forth by New Jersey’s Pilot Red Light Camera Program, and about 500,000 drivers received notice of a settlement after that complaint, according to a NJ.com report.

A U.S. District Court judge in Trenton will decide whether the settlement should be accepted at a hearing set for Sept. 12, according to the report.

In his recent "Ask the Governor" segment, on NJ 101.5, the Governor acknowledged the debate over the timing of the lights, but said he has not seen the evidence to convince him to pull the program.  Click here to view the segment. 

Those in favor of the red-light safety camera programs argue that violations, side impact collisions, injuries and fatalities as a result of red-light running continue to fall. 

But critics of the lights argue that no traffic study was conducted in areas that would include cameras prior to their implementation, and there were no six-month maintenance inspections. Some have also questioned the timing of the yellow lights on the cameras.

Statewide, there are 25 municipalities with red-light cameras. Townships with ATS cameras include: Brick, Deptford, East Brunswick, Glassboro, Gloucester, Jersey City, Lawrence, Linden, Monroe, Piscataway, Pohatcong, Rahway, Roselle Park, Wayne and Woodbridge.