Coming soon to a high-risk intersection near you: red-light cameras. The state Department of Transportation (DOT) is rolling out a two-year pilot project in late summer, to improve traffic safety by citing red-light violators. Enabled last September under Act 30 (formerly House Bill 1676), the program allows for a straightforward, 24/7 system to catch, and deter, red-light runners. Still, expect pushback from some drivers, based on experience from another traffic-camera experiment that failed a decade ago.

This new system would take a magnified picture of the rear of a vehicle running a red light, capturing the license plate. The snap would be triggered after the intersection light turns red, to detect only those who cross the “stop bar” thereafter. A second, wide-angle photo would simultaneously capture the entire intersection for back-up context. A citation would then be sent to the vehicle’s registered owner.

It’s reasonable that photo enforcement not be activated if the vehicle is stuck in the middle of an intersection after the light turns red. Drivers sometimes can’t be faulted for getting caught in a crowded intersection after entering on a green or even yellow light — but they certainly shouldn’t be entering on a red light.

As for concerns that the vehicle’s registered owner might not be the red-light offender: This does deserve more explanation, particularly in light of a 2002 court decision that ruled against the state on a similar aspect involving van cameras used for speeding citations. In that case, because the state presumed the vehicle owner to be the traffic violator, therefore putting the burden on the owner/defendant to prove otherwise, such a presumption was ruled to be “unconstitutional” by Judge Leslie Hayashi.

That failed photo speed-detector program began in January 2002 but was repealed — amid Hayashi’s ruling and public perception that it was operated to maximize revenue for the program vendor, with van cameras sited at easy-target areas not aligned with speed-related collisions.

More needed clarity, and public input, on the red-light system should come in late May or early June, when the DOT holds a hearing on proposed administrative rules on this project (see bit.ly/32fCTbd). Also, a public educational campaign is required to be rolled out at least 60 days before the red-light camera system becomes operational in late summer.

Act 30 notes that from 2015 to 2019, police throughout Hawaii issued 20,885 red light violations to motorists — violations that endanger the lives of drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users.

Based on traffic-incident data, the DOT has now identified 10 sites for the red-light cams, and they are indeed worthy of special focus: Beretania and Piikoi streets; Kapiolani Boulevard and Kamakee Street; Vineyard Boulevard and Palama Street; Vineyard and Pali Highway; North King and Beretania streets; King Street and Ward Avenue; Vineyard and Liliha Street; Pali and School Street; Likelike Highway and School; King and River streets.

Under Act 30, penalties for red-light cam citations are $200 maximum for a first violation, up to $300 for a second violation within a year after the first violation; and up to $500 for a third or subsequent violation within a year of the first violation.

All fines collected will go into the red-light system’s special fund to sustain the program — which, at $2.8 million over two years to operate, already costs more than initially estimated. The state DOT must report program progress and results annually to the Legislature, valuable information to assess whether or not it is making the traffic-safety difference intended and if it’s worth continuing.

There does seem to be potential here to improve traffic safety in the urban core, particularly as Oahu advances its “Complete Streets” directive. This multimodal policy will put more varied transit modes on roadways — ranging from cars, buses, motorbikes, cyclists to pedestrians. Reducing dangerous vehicular red-light runners will help to reduce the danger to us all.