Automated enforcement technology has been adopted in half the states
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JUNE 3, 2025…..The concept of using cameras to catch speeding drivers and those who run red lights is pulling into the town square on Beacon Hill again.
While lawmakers from both major parties have long been hesitant to stamp their approval on the matter, Sen. William Brownsberger appealed to his colleagues on Tuesday for their support as transportation and pedestrian safety advocates pointed to roadway fatalities that they said deserve a strong legislative response.
The Brownsberger bill (S 2344, H 3754) would enable cities and towns to use automated camera enforcement for traffic law violations like speeding, running red lights and blocking intersections. Localities would approve of camera locations and produce an annual report that includes analysis of cameras and safety data.
Brendan Kearney, executive director of pedestrian advocacy group Walk Massachusetts, said Tuesday that in 2024, there were more than 369 reported traffic deaths in Massachusetts, in which at least 78 pedestrians lost their lives. Fifty-three cities and towns had at least one pedestrian crash death in 2024, according to Carney, who said camera enforcement could help curb those incidents.
Twenty-five states already use automated enforcement technology, according to Transportation For Massachusetts Senior Policy Director Pete Wilson.
“These programs are about changing behavior, not raising revenue. In New York, they’ve reported a 94% reduction in speed in areas with camera enforcement,” Wilson told lawmakers at a Transportation Committee hearing Tuesday. “Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that automated speed enforcement cameras, on average, can reduce speed by 20-to-25% [and] crashes by 30-to-40%.”
Former Gov. Charlie Baker unsuccessfully pursued a local-option red light camera system in a 2021 bill. In 2023, a different, unsuccessful bill would have put a camera pilot program in place across 10 municipalities.
“The negative comments are in two categories. One, it’s going to be a cash cow, municipalities are going to abuse it, so we’re afraid of that. And there’s [going to be] a line around the courthouse, of people trying to get out of these tickets because they’re writing tickets to people driving 26 miles an hour,” Brownsberger said of opposition. “Those are all things that you can manage in the bill.”
“There’s another group of people that say, ‘I don’t like the idea, despite the fact that I’ve got nine million photos of myself on Facebook, I really don’t like the idea that the government would take pictures of me,” Brownsberger continued.
The bill proposes that photographs would be allowed only when an enforceable violation occurs and would be destroyed within 48 hours of the final disposition of the violation, according to the Senate bill summary. Net revenues received by a city or town would be deposited into the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund. Vehicle owners, rather than operators, would be responsible for paying fines, which would be capped at $150.
Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Brendan Crighton asked whether the bill addresses potential issues surrounding racial profiling in certain communities.
“The local political process is going to ensure there’s a lot of visibility about where these things are going,” Brownsberger responded. “Here’s the reality: These are going to be [put] where they’re being asked for. There are lots of neighborhoods that are crying for these. Those are the neighborhoods that are going to get them and they’re going to be great.”
Gov. Maura Healey’s fiscal 2026 budget proposed allowing the installation of traffic cameras to issue fines for speeding. The House and Senate did not include the measure in their fiscal 2026 budget proposals.
