The Town of West Hartford. has launched a website with available information about the planned pilot for red-light running cameras.

By Ronni Newton

While the Town of West Hartford is awaiting approval by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration of its Speed Management Camera Plan, officials are beginning the process of developing a Red-Light Running Camera program.

The Speed Management Camera Plan was approved unanimously by the Town Council in December 2025, and officials expect the cameras to be installed and operational in 15 locations throughout town later this year.

The same methodology as used with the Speed Management Camera Plan will be used, which includes public input and hearings throughout the process as the locations for the cameras are identified and approved. A webpage on the Town of West Hartford website was launched this month, and includes a tentative project schedule, as well as details about the Public Involvement Plan (PIP) which is required by state and federal agencies in advance of implementing the program. Additional information, including possible camera locations and future meetings, will be included once those details are available.

Red-Light Running Camera Program schedule. Town of West Hartford website

Both West Hartford’s Speed Management Camera Program and the Red-Light Running Camera Program are 18-month pilots, and both of the Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device (ATESD) programs are funded through Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. An ordinance adopted by the Town Council in April 2025 established the framework for both of the ATESD programs.

West Hartford had announced plans to implement an ATESD plan more than two years ago, and applied for and received a $669,007 federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant in 2023 to support implementation of an 18-month pilot of the speed management program, as a component of its Vision Zero initiative, adopted in January 2023.

The town received a second SS4A grant in 2024 – a total of $3,178,100 for the “Vulnerable User Safety Program” – which includes funding for the red-light enforcement program pilot as well as many other Vision Zero Action Plan items.

According to the town, the goal of the Red-Light Running Camera Program “is to reduce red-light running-related traffic crashes and dangerous red-light running in high-risk areas as part of its Vision Zero Action Plan. This pilot will include eight red light running safety camera locations throughout West Hartford, installed at signalized intersections.”

The selection of the locations is an intensive data-driven process that also involves extensive public engagement as well as input from the Town Council’s Community Planning and Economic Development Committee (CPED), the Vision Zero Advisory Committee, and the Town Council as a whole.

The first public information meeting regarding development of the Red-Light Running Camera Plan has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Avenue.

“The candidate locations will be selected based on crash data available from the Connecticut Red Light Violation Tool (CT-REDV), crashes from the CT Crash Data Repository, traffic volumes, Vision Zero Focus Areas, police data, and other factors,” the webpage states. “Before red light running cameras can be installed, the locations must be approved by the West Hartford Town Council and the Office of State Traffic Administration (OSTA), with supporting materials indicating the locations meet OSTA ATESD guidelines. While eight (8) camera locations will be installed as part of the pilot, the Town will seek approval for sixteen (16) locations in total, providing eight additional locations as alternates if needed.”

State law requires that funds from the fines – which are expected to be significant in the early stages of the program – be invested back into the community to support transportation safety and mobility improvements, infrastructure enhancements, or costs associated with the ATESD program. “What’s most important to us is improving the safety in our community,” Town Manager Rick Ledwith said during a discussion of the speed management camera program, and he said the town plans use the funds to directly support Vision Zero efforts.

For more information about the project, visit the webpage. Questions can also be emailed to [email protected].

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