The Kansas City council committee has endorsed changes to the city's red-light camera ordinance. If the full council agrees Tuesday the cameras will be back in operation in ten days
Kansas City stopped issuing red-light camera tickets earlier this month after a Missouri court ruled that running a red light is a moving violation, and must be charged against a specific driver.
Police Sgt. Grant Ruark told the city council public safety committee that saving the traffic-cam program is not about revenue – fewer tickets are being written at the intersections with cameras than before they were installed. Ruark says the cameras are needed because they are working.
“There's an overall 29.33 percent reduction in accidents at the red light camera intersections,” he said.
Under the proposed change, the owner of the vehicle is the presumed driver, but if another person was driving the car, the owner can name that person and ask the traffic court to issue the ticket to that person.
Whether points would be charged against the ticketed driver's license would be up to the state, which is currently not assessing point penalties for red-light camera offenses.