- DC has 546 traffic cameras enforcing speed and red light rules.
- The system brought in $267 million in revenue last year.
- A new proposal seeks to ban all automated enforcement tools.
If you’re one of the roughly 700,000 people living in Washington, DC., you may not have to worry about traffic enforcement cameras for much longer. A new proposal from the Department of Transportation seeks to eliminate traffic enforcement cameras throughout the city, including those monitoring speed, red lights, and stop signs. If approved, the measure could take effect before the year is out.
Red light cameras were first installed in the District of Columbia in 1999. Over the years, they’ve been joined by hundreds of speed and stop sign cameras, forming a sprawling enforcement network. At present, there are 546 active cameras across D.C., issuing fines ranging from $100 to $500 depending on the violation.
Read: LA’s New Automated Camera System Doesn’t Wait For A Judge To Act
A document sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget by the DOT wants to have these cameras outlawed as part of the upcoming surface transportation bill that may be passed by Congress this year, Politico reports.
Safety Tool or Cash Machine?
Debates over the use of traffic enforcement cameras are nothing new, either in the U.S. or abroad. For some, they’re a clear tool for improving public safety. For others, they represent a surveillance overreach or a stealth tax.
But regardless of where you land, one thing is certain: the cameras have become a critical financial lever for D.C. In the 2023 fiscal year, they generated $139.5 million in revenue. That figure climbed to $213.3 million in 2024, then jumped again to $267.3 million in 2025.
According to Rep. Scott Perry, “automated traffic enforcement is being used to generate revenue, not enhance safety. Cities like Washington, D.C. that depend on automated traffic enforcement revenue to balance their budgets are proof that the policy isn’t about the safety of residents and visitors; it’s about fleecing people without representation or fair due process.”
Also: A Few Dozen Cameras Caught 10,000 Drivers Running A Red Light
Not everyone is in support of the effort to have these cameras outlawed. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says these cameras are “a critical tool in the work to save lives and make our streets safer.” She added that ditching the cameras would “create a $1 billion hole in D.C.’s financial plan, which would mean cuts to everyday city services.”
At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson raised another concern in an interview with WTOP News. Without the cameras, she argued, the burden of traffic enforcement would fall more heavily on police patrols, potentially stretching already limited resources even thinner.