Rochester’s red light camera program is over at the end of the month, but the vote by city council to abolish it wasn’t unanimous.
Mayor Lovely Warren’s measure to end the six-year-old program passed six-to-three, with council members Matt Haag, Carolee Conklin and Molly Clifford voting to keep it.
The mayor thanked the council for making the program history, and said the safety benefits didn’t justify the financial burden it put on people who are struggling to make ends meet. She called it counterproductive to efforts to reduce Rochester’s poverty rate and says Rochester Police will continue to enforce red light violations in the city.
The 48 automated red light cameras cover 32 intersections. They generate about $1 million a year for the city, but the mayor says the money isn’t worth the ill will they also generated for city government.