The city is once again studying whether cameras could help improve safety at intersections across the city. After years of concerns raised by the community after several deadly crashes.
“I hear from people every day and I see it myself, people intentionally stepping on the gas, blowing through red lights, making reckless decisions,” Encinitas resident Laura Van Dusen says. “Me personally, being a family friend of Emery Chalekian's family, it's devastating to see that type of driving behavior.”
Van Dusen is a founding member of Safe Streets Encinitas.The group formed last year after 12-year-old Emery Chalekian was hit and killed by a red-light runner while crossing Encinitas Boulevard.
Flowers, cards and pictures still line the sidewalk near where she died.
For years, community members have been pushing the city to bring red light cameras back to Encinitas.
“I continue hopeful that the city can continue to progress towards doing more. More needs to be done,” Van Dusen says. “We've lost 3 children.”
Van Dusen adds her group has analyzed the city’s traffic fatalities in the last 10 years. She says on average they’re losing a cyclist every 7.5 months, and a pedestrian every 8.5 months.
Last week, the city council directed staff to study a new state pilot program and other options for bringing back red-light cameras.
During the program, drivers would receive a $100 citation if they had not been ticketed in the previous three years, with fines rising to $500 for repeat violations.
“We have data from when our cameras were up, from that data 99% of violators were first time offenders, indicating that only 1% were repeat offenders,” Van Dusen says.” That indicates that they're effective”
The cameras would also be different from the city's old program, which ended in 2020.
Under the new state law, violations are civil penalties, with lower fines and privacy protections that limit what the cameras can capture.
“I think that is my biggest hope Is that we can see this moving forward with the urgency that it deserves,” Van Dusen says. “I’ll continue hoping.”
