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Sacramento pedestrians, cyclists and drivers seem to agree on one thing: People love running red lights in Sacramento.
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The city is looking at implementing an automated red light camera enforcement program designed to reduce serious crashes — a move that safe street enthusiasts say is long overdue.
“I think that red light running has become epidemic in Sacramento,” resident Dan Allison said at an Active Transportation Committee meeting Thursday. “It is worse than many other places that I go, and it needs to be controlled. I’m very glad that this program is moving forward.”
The program is in its early stages of development. The Public Works Department is currently seeking feedback on its preliminary list of 20 intersections to install red light cameras.
The draft list of intersections includes city intersections where crash data indicated patterns of red light running, but city staff emphasized the need for community feedback on the list. The city opened an online survey for people who live, work and travel in Sacramento, one part of a community engagement effort that will also include a citywide public workshop planned for November.
The enforcement program represents an inch forward with the city’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2027, which has received few dedicated resources in the near-decade since it was drafted. In both deficit and surplus budget years City Council has declined to dedicate significant funding to safety-focused transportation projects, and a proposed sales tax ballot measure that would have dedicated $75 million a year to public transportation and safe streets failed to reach the signature threshold.
At this stage of development, there is no defined budget, said Chris Dougherty, a funding and asset planning manager with Public Works, at Thursday’s meeting.
The city is looking at launching the program in spring 2027.
Where would the lights be?
Here is the list of recommended intersections in Sacramento:
1. 5th Street and I Street
2. Truxel Road and Arena Boulevard
3. Del Paso Boulevard and Evergreen Street/Lampasas Avenue
4. 65th Street and Lemon Hill Avenue
5. Freeport Boulevard and Florin Road
6. Folsom Boulevard and Howe Avenue/Power Inn Road
7. Truxel Road and Gateway Park Boulevard
8. Stockton Boulevard and Elder Creek Road/47th Avenue
9. Fruitridge Road and Power Inn Road
10. 65th Street and Fruitridge Road
11. Mack Road and Valley Hi Drive/La Mancha Way
12. El Camino Avenue and Northgate Boulevard
13. 16th Street and J Street 14.
12th Street and North 16th Street
15. 3rd Street and Capitol Mall
16. El Camino Avenue and Evergreen Street
17. Florin Road and Greenhaven Drive
18. Franklin Boulevard and Brookfield Drive
19. Cosumnes River Boulevard and Bruceville Road
20. Truxel Road and Del Paso Road/Natomas Boulevard
The final list is dependent on community feedback and a review of the financial and legal viability of each location.
How much would a fine cost, and where would that money go?
Fines would start at $100 for a first violation and increase with repeat violations within three years. Income-eligible residents could quality for reductions of up to 80% and the city would offer payment plans for as low as $25 a month. There is a $25 fee to file an appeal challenging a violation.
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Revenue from red light camera fines would be required to be reinvested in street safety improvements and could not be used for the city’s general fund expenditures.
What about privacy?
Privacy is a sensitive topic in the Sacramento region as residents’ concerns grow surrounding license plate readers, but the proposed red light cameras are distinct technology.
The proposed program was made possible by a state law passed last year which overhauled how California cities could handle red light camera enforcement, making violations civil infractions rather than criminal moving violation against the driver. Notices of civil violations would be mailed directly to the vehicle’s registered owner.
State Bill 720 emphasized privacy safeguards by limiting the information collected by the cameras and prohibits photographing the driver and using facial recognition. Cameras are allowed only to capture relevant information for the violation and are prohibited from continuous recording. All data collected for the violations will be deleted upon the resolution of the violation.
Enforcement of the program would be handled by the Public Works and Transportation departments rather than Sacramento police.
How prominent are road fatalities in Sacramento?
A recent report has named Sacramento as one of the top 20 deadliest metro areas for pedestrians.
So far in 2026 at least 29 people have died from preventable car crashes in Sacramento — Reema Ram, 37; Maria Aurora Victoria Titman, 29; Christian David Garcia Flores, 31; Eunice La Vonne Queener, 67; Paris Lamar Johnson, 34; Ronald Howard, 68; Kalia Giselle Cabello Fernandez, 22; Josefina D. Guzman, 45; Dwayne Andrew Henderson, 44; Domonik Frederick Gross, 33; Habiba Safi, 33; Miguel Ramirez Padilla, 23; William Douglas Wradge, 27; Rule Allah Yahya Smith, 32; David Mordecai Meyer, 38; Forrest Murray Coss, 70; Lue Lawrence Powell, 53; Ariana Yaretzi Ayala Munoz, 19; Trevon Hayes, 31; James Derek Williams, 69; Avianna Hill, 9; Adrian Guerrero, 43; Salvador Rodriguez Tafoya, 47; Javier Rebolledo Gomez, 27; Kirubel Gebretsadik, 46; David Charles Holden, 71; and two people whose names have not yet been released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
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This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 1:16 PM.