Salem’s longtime photo enforcement program is set to expand this week by increasing detection capability for red light and speed violations at two south Salem intersections.
Starting Thursday, May 1, the northbound-facing cameras at Commercial ST and Kuebler BV SE and Commercial ST at Madrona AV SE will detect whether vehicles stop for the red lights or exceed the posted speed limit.
For the first month, between May 1 and May 30, warnings will be issued to the northbound drivers who violate the stop light or the speed rule through those Commercial ST intersections. Before a citation is sent to the vehicle’s registered owner notifying them of the incident, a recording of any violation identified by the system is verified by a police officer.
In the 17 years since program was implemented, data from the sites indicates a steady decrease in crashes at those fixed traffic enforcement camera locations. Salem has six intersections with the automated technology:
- Center ST at Hawthorne AV NE
- Commercial ST at Kuebler BV SE
- Commercial ST at Madrona AV SE
- Commercial at Marion STS NE
- Mission at 25th STS SE
- Silverton at Fisher RDS NE
Traffic safety and fatal collision reduction remains a Salem Police Department strategic priority and is a priority issue for the Salem community. An anonymous poll of Salem residents via the neighborhood social media platform Nextdoor in February provided insight into the community’s perception of the program. Sixty-one percent of respondents agreed with the use of the camera systems, and 59% would like to see more locations added.
Source: Salem Police