Intersection Safety Cameras FAQs
- Project survey to understand concerns and perspectives
- City Council work session scheduled for November 18th, 2026
- Approval of new staff positions at Eugene Police and the Municipal Court to support the program
- Selecting a vendor for the program
- Confirm compliance of vendor systems with the citywide data privacy policy currently under development
- Working with the selected vendor to review and approve possible locations
- Vendor securing permits and installing equipment
- Public Works posting permanent photo-enforcement warning signs
- A 30-day period where only warning notices are mailed
- Citations begin
What are intersection safety cameras?
Intersection safety cameras detect drivers who break traffic laws. In Oregon, cities can use cameras to ticket drivers who run red lights or who speed 11 mph or more over the speed limit. Safety cameras help reduce dangerous behaviors like speeding and red light running to make streets safer for everyone.
Most cities configure safety cameras so that they do not record all the time. Instead, sensors watch for drivers who speed or run red lights. The camera only turns on when a sensor spots a violation.
Why are intersection safety cameras needed?
Eugene continues to see serious and fatal crashes across the transportation system. With enforcement resources stretched thin at the Eugene Police Department, intersection safety cameras can hold drivers accountable for unsafe behaviors like running red lights and excessive speeding. Safety cameras are one tool in the Vision Zero Action Plan that can help the City of Eugene reach the goal of eliminating serious and fatal crashes.
How will intersection safety cameras improve safety?
Between 2020 and 2024, red light running and speeding were factors in 81 fatal and serious injury crashes in Eugene. More traffic enforcement can help reduce these dangerous driving behaviors.
How would the intersection safety camera program be funded?
The program is intended to be cost neutral, meaning revenue from the citations would cover the cost of running the program. To start up the program, however, the City would need to invest funding to hire more staff for EPD and Municipal Court to review and process citations.
Long-term, if there is extra money after covering program expenses, the City would use the funds for more traffic safety work.
Will the intersection safety cameras generate revenue?
The goal of the program is to be cost neutral, meaning revenue from the citations covers program expenses. If there is money left over, it would be used for additional traffic safety work. The hope is that the cameras encourage people follow the law, resulting in little to no revenue from citations.
What is the timeline for installing the cameras?
The timeline is unknown while staff engage with both City Council and the broader community. Key milestones include:
Where would the intersection safety cameras be installed?
There is no final list of locations yet. The City will consider crash history, red light running data, speeding data, and community complaints when choosing the locations. The vendor selected for the program will likely assist in evaluating candidate locations.
I have an idea for a camera location. How can I get the City to install one?
The City is still exploring the feasibility of installing intersection safety cameras and plans to launch this program as a pilot. That means only a small number of intersection will be eligible, likely between 3-5 intersections. If you know of an area with traffic safety issues, please report your observations to the Eugene Police Department using the "Traffic Complaint" option via MyPDConnect.
How will the City of Eugene protect the community's data security and personal privacy?
The City of Eugene recognizes that the benefits of information technology must be balanced with potential privacy impacts to the community. If this program moves forward, it will be developed within a broader lens of a robust citywide data privacy policy.
Would this program include services similar to Flock?
No. Services like Flock use AI-powered surveillance cameras that read the license plate numbers of all passing cars to assist with criminal investigations; those cameras do not issue traffic citations.
The proposed Intersection Safety Camera Program is exclusively focused on discouraging dangerous driving behaviors in support of Eugene’s Vision Zero goals. These cameras record when a qualifying traffic violation is picked up by radar or lidar sensors set up around the camera to assist in issuing citations. Intersection safety cameras are used by many cities across Oregon, with some programs dating back to the 1990’s and early 2000’s.