On Tuesday, the Brentwood City Council will conduct a public hearing that could result in the city implementing a red-light traffic camera system within the City of Brentwood.
According to the staff report, residents of the City have requested increased safety precautions in response to traffic light violations in the City. In response, city staff is proposing installation of 9 red light cameras at the following locations:
- Balfour Road and Brentwood Boulevard
- Balfour Road and Fairview Avenue
- Balfour Road and American Avenue
- Sand Creek Road and Fairview Avenue
- Sand Creek Road and Brentwood Boulevard
- Sand Creek Road and Sand Creek Crossing
- Lone Tree Way and O’Hara Avenue
- Brentwood Boulevard and Oak Street
- Fairview Avenue and Central Boulevard
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that the use of traffic cameras reduced red-light violations by 40% at the intersections where they were installed (Retting et., 1999). Additionally, the fatal collision rate caused by red light violations was reduced by 24% throughout cities that used traffic cameras. There are likely safety benefits at all signaled intersections in the City where automated red-light cameras are located, even if cameras are installed only in a single traffic direction.
The discussion Tuesday is the first step of the process that would lead to implementation and operation of automated traffic enforcement systems within the City (“the Program”). Step 2, including the review of vendor contracts, monthly fees, and the vendor selection method, will be brought back to the City
Council at a future meeting for further consideration and approval before implementation proceeds. Step 3, launch System with Required Public Notice: Must include a public announcement 30 days in advance of activation, followed by a 30-day grace period during which only warning notices are issued.
How it works:
Once a violation is recorded by the automated system, a service contactor will review and provide a summary to the Brentwood Police Department for verification of the violation. If verified, the contractor will issue the citation by mail to the driver and the fine is paid directly to the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Once the driver receives the citation in the mail, they will have the opportunity to review the images and video, pay the citation, nominate another driver, or request a hearing and go to court. A portion of the citation revenue will be remitted to the City and the contractor will receive a set monthly fee.
Administrative safeguards built into the Program make the unfair or unethical differential treatment of individual drivers highly unlikely because the Program applies equally to all vehicles travelling through intersections where the red light cameras are used.
Case Study:
For a case study – the City of Citrus Heights reported reductions in several areas since the introduction of red-light photo enforcement.
- Reduced red-light violations by 40%.
- Reduced side impact collisions with injury by 68%.
- Reduced fatalities caused by red-light violations by 21%.
- Reduced all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14%.
Potential Cost
The annual salary and benefits cost of a CSO position is approximately $140,000. If there are violation fines collected in excess of the set monthly contractor’s fee to operate the system, this revenue could offset some amount of this additional cost.
Although this item does not carry a direct fiscal impact, potential future impacts are possible. A positive fiscal impact could occur if citation levels generate revenue without requiring additional staffing; a negative fiscal impact could result if additional staffing is needed to administer the Program. For reference, the most recent General Fund projections are for a positive result from ongoing operations and a likely surplus in FY 2024/25, with an increase in the required 30% General Fund reserve necessitating a minor (less than 1% of overall budget) draw of $450,000 from the Budget Stabilization Fund in FY 2025/26.
If You Go:
Brentwood City Council Meeting
August 26, 2025 at 7:00 P.m.
City Council Chambers
150 City Park Way, Brentwood, CA 94513
Full Agenda – click here
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