Red light running had become an epidemic in Auckland. Stuff reporters recently counted more than 250 drivers, including buses, trucks and vans, running completely red lights in 90 minutes at four notorious intersections in the south, west and north of Auckland.
Six red light cameras will be switched on in Auckland after a Stuff investigation revealed Auckland Transport's existing cameras had not worked for years.
These six have been in calibration mode since their installation, at a cost to ratepayers of $720,000, which started last July.
Mayor Phil Goff said: "Two weeks ago, I spoke with the minister of police and associate minister of transport to ensure maximum cooperation between police and the council in activating the new red light cameras. I am pleased they have responded so promptly.
"As a motorcyclist I know well the risk posed by vehicles running red lights and have lost family members and friends in road fatalities. Red light cameras are proven technology that saves lives and having the cameras operating in hot spots around Auckland will help reduce red light running and make our roads safer.
"The six red light cameras in operation from today will be added to over the next 10 years with 42 more, and help bring down Auckland's road toll which has increased by over 70 per cent in the last three years."
Stuff reporters counted 110 red light runners on the corner of East Tamaki and Bairds Rd intersection in Otara in 90 minutes.
Red light running had become an epidemic in Auckland. Stuff reporters recently counted more than 250 drivers, including buses, trucks and vans, running completely red lights in 90 minutes at four notorious intersections in the south, west and north of Auckland. About 130 of the red light runners were at intersections that had the new Auckland Transport red light cameras.
There were 15 earlier red light cameras decommissioned because of either outdated technology or road works, meaning a total of more than $2 million ratepayers' money had been spent on the non-functioning red lights.
AT's chief executive officer, Shane Ellison, said making roads safer for Aucklanders was AT's top priority, and enforcement through the use of red light cameras was a key measure in achieving this.
One of six intersections where cameras installed across Auckland in 2017 started working on Thursday, resulting in police issuing tickets of $150.
"Auckland Transport is committed to making our roads safer for our communities, and we are working in partnership with New Zealand Police to do this."
Planning committee chairman Chris Darby welcomed the news and the $8.5 million budgeted for new cameras under Auckland's Regional Land Transport Plan.
"It has been a while coming but there's a much bigger focus from AT on road safety now. With the road safety budget in the Regional Land Transport Plan, there will be a double-down on red light running and speeding to make sure there's a continued focus on reducing those ugly tragedies and loss of lives.
"We would like to push this back on residents and say you all have responsibility to correct your behaviour on the road," he added.
Superintendent Steve Greally, national manager of road policing, said running red lights was dangerous and was "simply not worth it, as you could cause a crash and seriously injure yourself, or someone else".
"Our police work hard every day trying to stop risky driver behaviour, this includes people running red lights. Drivers need to remember that decisions they make impact not only them and their passengers, but everyone else on the road."
Last year, five people in Auckland died in crashes involving running red lights, compared with a total of four deaths in the previous five years. Auckland's red-light crash figures have steadily climbed to 477 last year, compared with 387 reported crashes in 2012.
The six cameras are in the following intersections: