The camera watching westbound traffic on Santiam Road at Geary Street on Nov. 14, 2025.
If there was a monthly contest among Albany traffic cameras for the most citations issued, it would be a close race. But North Albany Road would have won last month.
Since the latest set of red-light and speed cameras came on line in October, on Queen Avenue at Elm Street, I’ve had occasion to compare four intersections in terms of tickets issued.
Today I asked for camera statistics for November, and Police Chief Marcia Harnden sent me the table below.
The cameras in the school zone on North Albany Road led for the month with total of 337 citations. It’s not clear from the table, but the vast majority were for speeding — at an average speed of about 33 or 34 miles per hour in the 20 mph school zone.
Santiam Road at Geary Street was a close second with 330 citations issued. There the average speed was around 38 mph. The speed limit at the intersection is 25.
The other intersections came nowhere close in citations. Queen Avenue at Elm Street had 195. And Queen and Geary, where red-light cameras have been in operation for years, was dead last with a mere 36 tickets.
As I reported yesterday, Albany Public Works has asked for bids for flashing lights to be installed on North Albany Road. Once those lights are operating, the number of tickets there should plummet because the 20 mph school zone will be enforced only when students arrive or leave school, not for 10 hours on school days as now.
Assuming that each driver who got a camera ticket in November will pay, on average, a $160 fine, the sum of 898 citations will cost them a combined $143,680 or so.
If that pace of violations and tickets lasts for a year, the annual cost to those affected amounts to $1,724,000. Will that reduce traffic crashes in Albany over time?
Maybe, but how could we tell? Most crashes happen where no cameras are installed. (hh)
If you are signed up for alerts of Albany traffic accidents that cause road closures or detours, you know that lately Albany had a string of about one sizeable traffic crash a day for about 5 days. And, it is early December, and between now and the end of the year the roads will be even busier.
That problem won’t be solved, because most people of driving age today have never been alive or driven when the roads had traffic cops on duty patrolling the roads. So, after a few generations of no traffic cops, everyone drives 20 miles over the speed limit if they want to.
I was on Highway 226 a while back near the turn-off to Griggs and Lebanon and someone passed me in a huff. I thought I must have been going too slow and looked at my speed and I was going 65 miles an hour (so I was over the speed limit). The person who passed me had to be doing at least 75 miles an hour.
Traffic problems are not going to be solved, but the tickets issued from cameras might help because no one likes a citation on their record or paying the fine.
If all the grocery stores in Albany (except one in North Albany) and most other businesses weren’t in East Albany, the traffic on Pacific, 9th, Santiam, Waverly, and Geary would not result in so many traffic accidents. But, that ship has sailed.
Why does Hering always focus the onus on “the cameras,” when- if folks simply obeyed the speed limit signs, there would be no need for cameras. Hasso always seems to want forgiveness for these what amounts to motorized criminality. He wants special “flashing lights” to remind people to read the signs telling them to slow down, stupid.
He advocates for scofflaws, expecting the rest of law-abiding society to pony-up for flashing lights and other dispensations, yet he never condemns the Speeding Fools. Then, perhaps in his next blog, or the one after it, Hering soundly condemns motor vehicle operators for their indifference to bicyclists. One might think he believes bicyclists are more valuable than children walking to school.
Two things can be true at once, but how Hering views those two things is puzzling, if not bizarre.
Hasso believes in small government and minimal rules and regulations.
Thanks for the stats, Hasso, and holding their feet to the fire.
I would like the city to look at the intersection on Albany Road and Old Salem light. This light has vehicles running the light red when making left hand turns onto Old Salem.
Koteks finest soldiers doing their best to make Oregon the most expensive place to live tax tax tax, and a serving of higher insurance too
Not true, Oregon ranks 30th in states with taxation totals. Point your finger at Albany in itself. This has nothing to do with who sits in the governor’s chair .
Those numbers are staggering. Where do those funds go and what is the accountability for them. Once equipment is paid for I would advocate the amounts go to the Albany schools from the lights nearest them and the others go toward street/pothole maintenance.
Obvious revenue stream. That is all.
The bigger question is the accuracy of said cameras. I know for a fact that my car cannot get up to almost 40 mph in a block and a half. They’re crooked for sure.