After a recent work-study session of over 1100 intersections in the city of Phoenix, City Officials have come up with a list of 600 of the most dangerous intersections.  These intersections are among those being considered to add red-light cameras in an initiative to curtail serious traffic-related accidents.

Channel 12 News in Phoenix reported last week that the Phoenix Street Department put together a list of the 600 most dangerous intersections based on crash data from 2016 to 2018.   Each of these intersections had either red-light, pedestrian, or fatal crashes.

The Street Department came up with a list of the four most dangerous intersections of all within Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs. The intersections with the highest number of crashes include:

1. 27th Avenue and Adams Street. This intersection has the highest score and a reputation for being the most dangerous in Phoenix. It has a score of 195 and has seen some 25 red light crashes and at least three serious or deadly crashes.
2. 21st Avenue and Glendale Avenue. This intersection was given a score of 175 and has had a total of 20 red light crashes and at least one severe or deadly crash.
3. 43rd Avenue and Encanto Boulevard. With a score of 165, this intersection had 22 red light crashes and one pedestrian crash.
4. First and Lincoln Street. This intersection had 25 red light crashes. It was given a score of 130.

According to the report, not one of the four intersections listed above are considered the busiest in the city, nor have they ever had red-light cameras installed.

Phoenix Mayor, Kate Gallego is firmly in favor of installing red-light cameras and believes that this new information is a powerful metric to show where cameras should be installed to make Phoenix streets safer.

While the red-light cameras are often criticized for being just another money grab by the city, Gallego insists she wants the program to pay for itself.  Even though red-light cameras brought in revenue of an estimated $7 million from 2009 to 2019, none of the 24 city intersections with red-light cameras were among the most dangerous. Gallego believes that’s proof that red-light cameras work.

“I would like to see a program that focuses on safety first. It’s not about how much money we collect but how we can make sure all of our residents get home safely,” Gallego said.