Red Light Cameras Come to a Halt in Texas
Stop light camera at an intersection. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
June 2, 2019 - Municipal Plaza Building, Downtown San Antonio
Article By: Jonathan Guajardo - Editor, SA Sentinel
As of Saturday evening, tickets issued as a result of red light traffic cameras are no longer valid in San Antonio municipalities such as Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, or any other Texas city where they are being utilized to issue tickets to traffic violators. In a video post on Twitter, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1631 which effectively banned the usage of red light cameras throughout the Lone Star State. The bill, authored by Republican State Representative Jonathan Strickland, states, “Notwithstanding any other law, a local authority may not implement or operate a photographic traffic signal enforcement system with respect to a highway or street under the jurisdiction of the authority.”
The bill leaves some room for municipalities that passed red light camera ordinances before May 7, 2019. The text states, “The local authority may continue to operate the system under that ordinance and under the terms of that contract until the expiration date specified in the contract as the contract existed on May 7, 2019.”
The text of the bill also leaves the enforcement of the law up to the attorney general and further states that, “Notwithstanding any other law, a local authority may not issue a civil or criminal charge or citation for an offense or violation based on a recorded image produced by a photographic traffic signal enforcement system.”