ST. CLOUD -- The Minnesota State Patrol and MnDOT are launching a new program this weekend to help catch red-light runners at a busy St. Cloud Intersection.

The red-light enforcement project begins Saturday and uses video technology to catch violators who enter the intersection illegally.

State Patrol Captain Brad Ouart is the Commander of the St. Cloud district. He says this system is different than photo ticket enforcement other states use.

The systems in the past have been photography that results in a ticket that has been mailed after the fact. Our system is a live stream video feed that streams to the troopers cars, who watch the violation in real time, stop the vehicle in real time, identify the driver and take appreciate enforcement.

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The pilot project is located at the intersection of Highway 15 and 2nd Street, one of the most dangerous intersections in the state.

Thomas Dumont with MnDOT says this idea began back in 2012 and there is no other technology like this around.

That's why it took so long to develop something like this. Everything was leading to legalized automated enforcement, which is illegal in Minnesota. So we needed to develop something that could fit within the legal bounds and still be useful.

The program will last 90 days and then be re-evaluated before local agencies are able to use the technology.

Ouart says there are two goals behind the project.

We are looking at the technology being operational and can be sustained and if this indeed reduces the number of violations in this area.

In the last three years in Minnesota there have been 22 fatal crashes and 2,000 other injury crashes.

This system is separate from the Blue Light system Stearns County is using along County Highway 75 between St. Joseph and Waite Park, County Highway 75 in St. Cloud, and parts of Highway 15 through central Minnesota.

 

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