Minneapolis speeding, red light cameras could begin this August: Map
Minnesota speed camera considered by lawmakers
Lawmakers are currently considering a plan to authorize police departments to use traffic light cameras to monitor speeding motorists.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A proposed pilot program to add cameras at traffic lights in an effort to reduce speeding and improve pedestrian safety could be debuted in several cities beginning this summer.
Minnesota traffic camera enforcement
What we know:
In 2024, lawmakers approved a pilot program in Mendota Heights and Minneapolis that would run from Aug. 1, 2025, to July 31, 2029, to allow for the implementation of automated cameras to monitor traffic law violations such as speeding and red light running. After that period, an independent evaluation of the pilot program would be reported to the Minnesota Legislature for review of its effectiveness.
As of February 2024, a total of 17 states use both red light and speeding enforcement through automated cameras in the U.S., while another nine use one or the other. The remaining states don’t currently utilize either system.
According to a study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in 2023, "every methodological study of U.S. speed camera systems has found reductions in deaths, injuries, crashes, and speeds" while studies have also found a 19-56% reduction in severe or fatal crashes using the technology.
In Minneapolis, 31 people were killed in crashes involving clear speeding, and 16 people were killed in crashes involving running red lights throughout 2022 and 2023, MnDOT also found.
Between 2017 and 2021, an average of 150 people died or suffered very serious injuries in crashes in Minneapolis, when speeding was often a contributing factor.
Feedback gathered from Vision Zero questionnaires found that 62% of respondents were in favor of instituting traffic cam lights.
A map of proposed locations where cameras might be implemented in Minneapolis can be found below:
Proposed locations for potential traffic cameras in Minneapolis. (Supplied)
Legality of speed cameras
Dig deeper:
Minneapolis tried red light cameras almost 20 years ago, ending the program in 2007 after the state Supreme Court ruled it wasn’t legal – saying the city did not currently have the statutory authority to implement the system as it was structured.
However, more narrowly tailored proposals that made their way through the Minnesota Legislature in 2024 paved the way to make the idea a reality in select communities, under certain restrictions.
Speed cameras in Minnesota?
The legislation to allow speed cameras in Minneapolis is now expanding to the entire state and adding red light cameras to the bill.
How it would work
Why you should care:
During the pilot, a first violation would be a warning, with $40 citations for 10-plus miles over the speed limit, and a doubled fee for speeding more than 20 mph over the posted limit. Fines escalate to $84 each if never paid.
Warnings and citations would be sent to the owner of the vehicle, and owners aren’t liable if they provide a sworn statement that they were not driving the vehicle at the time, or it had been sold or stolen prior to it occurring.
All violations would also need to be confirmed by a trained enforcement agent before becoming official, and no violation would go on driving records, or be grounds for revoking or suspending a driver’s license.
The cameras could also only be used for traffic safety enforcement, and couldn’t capture pictures that identify people.
A one-month warning period will lead up to any enforcement, and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) would be barred from implementing or coordinating the program.
What's next:
Minneapolis leaders plan to gather community feedback on potential camera locations during a series of public meetings through mid-May and finalize analysis of traffic camera locations throughout the summer prior to implementation.