Pennsylvania is sending nearly $13 million to 29 municipalities across the state to fix some of its most dangerous intersections, with the money earmarked for 33 separate safety projects ranging from new traffic signals to audible crosswalk systems. The funding comes from a program with an unusual revenue source: fines paid by drivers caught running red lights in Philadelphia.
Where the Money Comes From
The Automated Red-Light Enforcement grant program, known as ARLE, uses revenue from red light violation fines at Philadelphia intersections to support traffic safety improvements statewide, according to PennLive. The program specifically targets locations where data show red-light running has been a persistent problem, the outlet reports. An eight-member committee reviewed 126 applications requesting more than $78 million in total funding this cycle, ultimately awarding roughly $12.9 million for 33 projects in 29 municipalities, per the same report.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll framed the awards as a flow-and-safety issue rather than just an enforcement one. “The ARLE program helps municipalities improve traffic flow and safety at intersections for everyone who uses the road,” Carroll said, according to PennLive's reporting. The state agency also announced the grants in a Facebook post describing the funding as part of Governor Josh Shapiro's commitment to safer, more connected communities. Since its creation, the ARLE program has distributed more than $87 million for 205 safety projects statewide, the station's report notes.
Central Pennsylvania Projects Lead the List
Several Harrisburg-area communities landed significant awards in this round. Susquehanna Township will use $662,000 for full traffic signal modernization at Front Street and Linglestown Road, per the same account. State College received $400,000 for the study, design and permitting of traffic-calming and intersection-safety improvements along the Westerly/Easterly Parkway Corridor, the outlet reports.
Harrisburg itself was awarded $248,000, though news outlets differ on exactly what the money covers. PennLive reports the funds will install audible warning systems for accessibility to crosswalks at three intersections and convert a pedestrian beacon at Front and Vaughn streets into a fully signalized intersection. Local 21 News describes the award as funding a traffic signal at the intersection of Front Street and Vaughn Street, while the Franklin County Free Press reports the money is for audible warning systems at crosswalks, including at Forster Street and 7th Street.
Bucks County and Beyond
In Bucks County, Bristol Township is receiving $207,637.50 for signal improvements at 18 intersections, though reports vary on the corridor's name. LevittownNow describes the project as covering Route 13 and Veteran Highway, while WFMZ reports the same corridors as Bristol Pike and Veteran Highway. Nearby Falls Township will use $242,621.25 to upgrade the traffic signal at Tyburn and New Falls roads and South Main Street, according to LevittownNow's reporting.
Other awards announced Friday show the breadth of the program's reach. Huntingdon Borough will receive $93,900 to install rapid-flashing beacons at three pedestrian crossings near Juniata College, per the Lewistown Sentinel. The City of Bethlehem landed $300,000 for safety and multimodal improvements along the Stefko Boulevard corridor, while Washington Township received a far smaller $7,624 grant to purchase two portable, solar-powered radar speed signs for neighborhoods with high volumes of cut-through traffic, according to WFMZ's reporting.
Why Red-Light Running Keeps Killing
The stakes behind these grants are grim. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that 1,149 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured nationally in crashes involving red-light running in 2022, according to the Times Leader. That fatality count marked nearly a 4% increase over the prior year and more than a 22% jump compared to 2017 figures, the outlet reports. At least half of those killed were not the drivers who ran the lights, but passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists or occupants of other vehicles, per the same report.
In Pennsylvania specifically, PennDOT data recorded 4,372 crashes in 2023 due to a driver's disregard of a traffic control or running a red light, resulting in 33 fatalities, the Times Leader notes. IIHS research cited by the outlet found that cameras reduce the fatal red-light-running crash rate in large cities by 21% and the rate of all fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14%. A separate IIHS study in Philadelphia found that extending yellow-light timing alone cut red-light violations by 36%, and adding camera enforcement on top of that reduced violations by an additional 96%, according to the same reporting.
