Newberg Launching Photo Red Light and Speed Enforcement Program

NEWBERG, Ore.—The City of Newberg is implementing a photo red light and speed enforcement program, starting with the intersection of Highway 99W and Villa Road.

The program, targeting westbound traffic (heading toward downtown) on Highway 99W and vehicles turning westbound from Highway 219/Villa Road, is projected to activate in October 2024, pending approval of construction permits from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

The initiative comes in response to growing concerns locally about traffic law violations, particularly red light running, according to the city. In 1999, the Oregon Legislature enacted a law allowing communities to use cameras for red light enforcement. The law also permits these cameras to detect speeding violations for motorists exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph or more.

“Late in 2021, the city began looking at ways to improve traffic safety in the city by reducing speeds and traffic crashes in the downtown corridor of Newberg as well as along the rest of the city’s main thoroughfare, Hwy 99W, across the city,” said Will Worthey, City Manager for the City of Newberg.

Initially, five intersections along the main thoroughfare were identified as potential locations for improvement or enforcement. These included:

• First Street at Main Street (corner with Want CPA, Nap’s Thriftway, and Kopitos Cocina)
• Hancock at Main Street (corner with Papa Murphy’s, Ray’s Produce, and City Center Market)
• Villa Road at Highway 99W (Thai the Knot, Human Bean, Grocery Outlet)
• Springbrook Road at Highway 99W (Chipotle Mexican Grill, La Sierra, Shari’s Cafe)
• Brutscher Road at Highway 99W (Umpqua Bank, From Russia with Love, Jiffy Lube)

ODOT plays a crucial role in the project, as all roads and intersections along Highway 99W fall under its control. The city submitted crash data from police records for analysis by ODOT engineers. Based on this analysis, the intersections at First and Main and Highway 99W and Villa were tentatively approved for further study and possible photo enforcement.

With city council approval, an additional study conducted by an outside firm supported moving forward with photo enforcement at these intersections. The city then selected Conduent as the provider for the installation of the photo enforcement systems.

According to Worthey, only warnings will be issued for violations in the first 30 days after installation. This grace period allows the public to adjust to the new system and gives the city time to ensure proper functionality.

“Each violation is reviewed and certified by a Newberg Police Officer,” Worthey explained. “Aside from the fact that the citation will be received by the violator through the mail, they are considered by law, the same as those issued by a police officer on the roadside and are enforceable as such.”

The system captures still images and a short video of red light violations from both the front and rear when violators cross the stop line after the signal has turned red. For speed violations, the system records the vehicle’s speed as it enters the intersection.

After review by a police officer, valid violations are matched with DMV records, and citations are issued. Violators receive a photograph of their violation and a link to the video clip, along with instructions on how to respond to the citation.

While the Highway 99W and Villa Road intersection is set to begin enforcement in October, plans for the First and Main intersection are on hold. Infrastructure issues and pending discussions with ODOT following the finalization of House Bill 2095 in June have delayed implementation at this location.

House Bill 2095 authorizes all cities to elect to operate photo radar if city pays costs of operating photo radar, and eliminates restriction on number of hours per day the photo radar may be used in one location. It also expands city authority to set designated speed for certain residential streets to speed that is up to 10 miles per hour lower than statutory speed, but no less than 20 miles per hour.

The city plans to continue discussions with ODOT, intending to move forward with Automated Speed Enforcement only at the First and Main intersection.

As Newberg prepares to launch this program, city officials hope it will lead to improved traffic safety and greater compliance with traffic laws along the Highway 99W corridor. Learn more at the City of Newberg website.