Red-light, speed cameras on tap as fatal traffic crashes continue to rise in St. Louis

Red-light and speed cameras could be coming to St. Louis streets in an effort to reduce the number of fatal traffic crashes in the city.

“Automated traffic enforcement is a proven, effective tool to hold drivers accountable and improve safety on our streets,” Mayor Tishaura Jones said Monday at a news conference outlining the package of legislation. “It is one key tool in our traffic safety toolbox, and I'm ready to work alongside the Board of Aldermen to make our streets safer and hold drivers accountable.”

Traffic crashes began spiking during the pandemic, jumping 10.5% nationally from 2020 to 2021. So far in 2023, 27 people have died in car crashes in St. Louis, along with four pedestrians. Drivers have injured another 134 pedestrians and four cyclists.

The city invested $40 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding toward traffic engineering like speed humps and improvements at the top 10 traffic crash locations. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department also stepped up its traffic enforcement and has made 20,000 stops this year.

Officials said the cameras are meant to augment those efforts – financial resources are finite, and there are some locations where traffic stops are impractical or not safe.

“These bills are only the first step,” said Board President Megan Green. “To reach zero traffic fatalities, we will need to commit as a city to a comprehensive shift in how we approach streets, infrastructure, traffic control and education.”