Another Tampa Bay city is weeding out red light cameras. The cameras have been the subject of controversy for years.

  • City of New Port Richey removing red light cameras
  • Residents say cameras has changed behavior
  • Four cameras are coming down

New Port Richey plans to remove nearly half of them Sunday at midnight.

Red light offenses and crashes at intersections is actually going down in New Port Richey. Police Chief Kim Bogart says it can be attributed to a few different factors.

“Either driver behaviors have changed or the layout of US 19 had changed enough to where I feel there isn't a need for the cameras at those locations," said Chief Bogart.

Residents who admit they don’t like the cameras even said its changed their behavior.

“I stop for them all the time you know, you know they're there, once you know they're there everybody's going to pay attention to it," said resident, Bob Simon.

Red light cameras have been up in the city for five years. The number of citations have gone down so much at some intersections, four are coming down.

“One camera was producing less than a citation a day," said Chief Bogart.

At $4,500 a camera a month, the city decided to ax it.

Five cameras will remain. For example, the camera at Main Street and US 19. It averaged 463 citations a month in the last year.

Even so, some residents would like to see them all taken down.

“I don't like them because they're an intrusion of privacy, somebody wants to get me at the red light he should be at the red light," said resident, James Agett.

The city just signed a one year contract extension with American Traffic solutions for the five cameras Chief Bogart says are doing good for the city.

Bogart added, recidivism for red light cameras within the past five years is at 10 percent.