Red light runners will soon have to pay up at these Richmond intersections

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Drivers who fail to stop at red lights at key Richmond intersections will soon have to pay up. With the grace period for the city's newest red light enforcement cameras ending, each violation will cost offenders $50.

On Friday, Jan. 30, the city's first wave of red light safety cameras -- located at four high-risk intersections -- became operational. However, during an initial grace period, violators only received warnings for the first 30 days, allowing drivers time to adjust.

This grace period will end during the month of March. From that point on, drivers who choose to run a red light at these intersections will receive $50 citations for each offense, as allowed for under Virginia law.

Ticketed enforcement will begin at the following intersections on Sunday, March 8:

• 25th Street and Main Street
• Belvidere Street and Cary Street

Ticketed enforcement will begin at the following intersections on Tuesday, March 24:

• Chamberlayne Avenue and Brookland Park Boulevard
• Chamberlayne Avenue and Laburnum Avenue

"Intersections are critical zones where multiple users share space and where better driver behavior saves lives," said Richmond Department of Transportation (RDOT) director Andy Boenau in a March 5 press release. "By adhering to red signals and posted speed limits, we can prevent heartbreaking tragedies and better protect our community. Our Safety Camera Program underscores our consistent goal to provide safer streets for everyone."

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Richmond has been working to expand its Safety Camera Program for some time. When announcing the first pilot wave of red light safety cameras in January, the city shared that work to install such cameras at an additional six intersections was already underway.

Those intersections include:

• Mechanicsville Turnpike and Fairfield Way
• Belt Voulevard and Hull Street Road
• Cowardin Avenue/Richmond Highway and Hull Street
• German School Road and Midlothian Turnpike
• Commerce Road and Maury Street
• Hull Street and Warwick Road

This is one of many projects associated with Richmond's Vision Zero commitment, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries for all road users. For more information, click here.