Bristol City Council Approves Red-Light Cameras Ordinance 2026

Key Points

• Bristol City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday clearing the way for red-light cameras, voting along party lines with Democrats holding the majority .
• Two Republican councilors, Sue Tyler and Erick Rosengren, opposed the measure due to language allowing future consideration of speed cameras .
• Red-light cameras will not be installed immediately; Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu stated the city must first apply to the Connecticut Department of Transportation and conduct a public bidding process .
• Cameras will only target “high injury intersections” with crash data supporting the application, as required by Connecticut state law, with approximately 36 qualifying intersections in Bristol .
• Route 229 and Mountain Road near the Aldi’s grocery store tops the list for highest visibility and accident rates, while Summer Street and Center Street has the highest accident rate but lacks a red light .
• Revenue from camera fines cannot go to the city’s general fund; Connecticut state law strictly defines what municipalities can do with the money, including intersection improvements .
• The goal is traffic compliance, not revenue generation; data shows revenue typically decreases over three years as drivers adjust behavior .
• After installation, there will be a 30-day warning window before fines begin, with signage indicating camera presence at intersections .
• Councilor Greg Hahn clarified that speed cameras will not be implemented immediately and would require separate approval through the police board and city council .
• Public opponents including Mathew Biadun and former councilor Cheryl Thibeault raised concerns about automatic license plate reader reliability and privacy issues .
• Thibeault emphasized that speed cameras should require their own public discussion and hearing rather than being authorized through broad language for a different purpose .

Bristol Council (Bristol Express News) June 11, 2026 – The Bristol City Council approved a significant ordinance Tuesday that clears the way for the installation of red-light cameras throughout the city, despiteobjections from two Republican councilors who opposed language allowing future consideration of speed cameras. The measure was approved along party lines with Democrats holding the majority in the council chamber .

Why Are Red-Light Cameras Not Being Installed Immediately in Bristol?

Red-light cameras will not be installed immediately following the council’s approval. Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu explained the necessary steps that must precede installation.

“We have to now make an application to the Department of Transportation,”

Zoppo-Sappu said.

“We have to go out to bid, and we have to evaluate all of the vendors who might want to do business with the City of Bristol. That will be a public bid process as well” .

Once a vendor is identified and a potential contract entered, the mayor suggested it would make sense to hold a community forum.

“I think it would make sense to have a community forum so people could get to know that vendor, what they offer,”

Zoppo-Sassu stated . She noted that one vendor she interviewed had something specific to teen driving that she thought was interesting, and that different vendors have different ways of setting up the appeal process along with fee schedules .

Which Intersections in Bristol Will Be Targeted for Red-Light Camera Installation?

According to Mayor Zoppo-Sassu, the city is going to be targeting—and is only allowed by Connecticut state law to target—intersections called “high injury intersections” that have crash data supporting this type of application .

“We cannot randomly put a traffic enforcement signal somewhere that is not already on this list,”

the mayor explained .

Right now, Bristol has approximately three dozen intersections that qualify for camera installation . The city will take the ones at the highest visibility and highest accident rates . The intersection topping the list is Route 229 and Mountain Road, by the Aldi’s grocery store, said Zoppo-Sappu .

“I’m sure that is no surprise,”

said the mayor .

However, Zoppo-Sappu noted that the highest intersection accident rate in the city is actually one that doesn’t even have a red light: the intersection of Summer Street and Center Street .

Although the Summer and Center Street intersection won’t receive a camera, the mayor said it will benefit from the cameras because funds generated can be used to improve that intersection .

How Will Revenue From Red-Light Camera Fines Be Used in Bristol?

“Those types of intersection improvements will be able to be funded through the receipts of what we received from our share of the red-light traffic camera money,”

Zoppo-Sassu explained . She added that the city

“could maybe improve the bus transportation circle at South Side School, which is treacherous” .

However, the mayor emphasized that funds cannot go into the city budget for random usage.

“The money does not go to the general fund. It does not go to any type of special project. It is very strictly defined within the Connecticut state law what municipalities can do” .

If the red-light cameras work effectively, Zoppo-Sassu said the money generated will eventually dissipate .

“Compliance is the goal. So, we would never be counting this as revenue because the goal for compliance is that over the course of the next three years, data shows in the State of Connecticut that your revenue goes down,”

the mayor stated . She explained that this happens because

“people stop passing school buses; they stop running red lights, and hopefully they just generally comport themselves in better ways within traffic. And that is the end goal” .

What Happens During the 30-Day Window After Camera Installation?

After the contract is awarded and cameras are installed, Zoppo-Sassu explained there is a 30-day window where “people receive warnings” .

“There (also) is signage telling you that you’re approaching an intersection that has a red-light traffic enforcement camera,”

the mayor noted .

Why Did Republican Councilors Vote Against the Red-Light Camera Ordinance?

Although the ordinance voted upon by the council includes language for future allowance of speed cameras, Councilor Greg Hahn said speed cameras will not be put into place .

“In order to do that, you must go through the police board…and then again through city council in order to do that. This just simply is a plan so that we don’t have to revisit an existing ordinance for the future,”

Hahn explained .

The mayor also said the wording of the ordinance leaves the door open to explore technologies that don’t exist yet .

Republican councilors Sue Tyler and Erick Rosengren both voted against the ordinance . As a member of the police commission, Tyler noted,

“It was made very clear from the police commission that we would send this to the ordinance committee for red light cameras only. I understand that there was nothing nefarious (by the revision) … The thought was to make it easier in case of any future wishes to include speed cameras” .

But Tyler said,

“I feel like it’s really difficult to have the public’s trust in us sometimes if they’re questioning why we’re changing things or adding things without their full knowledge” .

Hahn responded,

“In fairness, the language has been discussed the last couple of council meetings, and it has been discussed in Ordinance. There was nothing withheld from the public” .

In voting against the ordinance, Rosengren said,

“Most people have no problem with red light cameras or the school bus cameras… Most of what I’m hearing is about the speed cameras inside the ordinance. I understand it was done to streamline the process. I may have not done a good enough job to inform my constituents why or what (was being done), but most of them don’t want it… They want that part to be taken out so it can be further scrutinized… What I’m hearing from my constituents is ‘No’ on this ordinance” .

What Concerns Did Public Members Raise About the Ordinance?

The members of the public who spoke on the ordinance also offered objections to the ordinance as presented .

“I don’t think automatic license plate readers are the answer (to combatting speeding),”

Mathew Biadun said .

“Automatic license plate reader technology is unreliable and is operated by even less trustable and reliable third-party corporations… These companies as a whole have not developed a good or reliable reputation” .

Biadun added,

“Every person in Connecticut should be able to drive to work, school, or the doctor without ending up in a government database… These cameras may be aimed at wrongdoers and criminals, but they do record everyone” .

Former city councilor Cheryl Thibeault, and a GOP candidate for state representative in the 79th district, also objected to the ordinance as presented .

“When this topic of the speed cameras and the red-light cameras were brought up last year, the conversation was presented only as red light cameras… I’m not totally opposed to red light cameras if they are implemented with a fair appeals process and the photographic evidence clearly removes ambiguity… Speed cameras, however, raise additional questions,”

Thibeault said .

“They often do not account for factors such as road conditions, weather, traffic flow, or the actions of other vehicles on the road” .

Thibeault added,

“At a minimum, any future consideration of speed cameras should require its own public discussion, its own hearing, rather than being authorized through broad language adopted for a different purpose” .

Background of the Red-Light Camera Development in Bristol

The debate over red-light cameras in Bristol has been ongoing for at least a year, with the conversation initially presented only as red light cameras when first brought up last year .

The police commission had made it clear that they would send the matter to the ordinance committee specifically for red light cameras only .

The ordinance process included discussions over the last couple of council meetings, with the language discussed in the Ordinance committee . Councilor Greg Hahn stated there was nothing withheld from the public regarding the speed camera language inclusion .

Connecticut state law strictly regulates where red-light cameras can be installed, limiting them to “high injury intersections” with supporting crash data .

The law also strictly defines what municipalities can do with revenue generated from camera fines, prohibiting funds from going to the general fund or special projects .

State data from Connecticut shows that revenue from red-light cameras typically decreases over three years as driver compliance improves .

The statewide pattern indicates that when people stop passing school buses and running red lights, revenue naturally dissipates as the end goal of compliance is achieved .

Bristol currently has approximately three dozen intersections that qualify for camera installation based on crash data and high injury rates .

Route 229 and Mountain Road near Aldi’s has been identified as the top intersection for highest visibility and accident rates, while Summer Street and Center Street has the highest accident rate despite lacking a red light.

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How Will Red-Light Cameras Affect Bristol Drivers and Residents?

The installation of red-light cameras in Bristol will directly affect all drivers navigating the city’s approximately 36 qualifying intersections, with Route 229 and Mountain Road near Aldi’s being the first location targeted . Drivers will receive a 30-day warning period after installation before fines begin, with signage indicating camera presence at each intersection .

For Bristol residents who drive daily to work, school, or medical appointments, the cameras will require increased attention to traffic signals, particularly at high-injury intersections .

As Mayor Zoppo-Sassu noted, the goal is compliance rather than revenue generation, with data showing that revenue typically decreases over three years as drivers adjust their behavior .

The revenue generated from fines will not enter Bristol’s general fund but will be strictly allocated according to Connecticut state law for specific purposes, primarily intersection improvements .

This means that areas like the Summer Street and Center Street intersection, which has the highest accident rate but won’t receive a camera, could benefit from improvements funded by camera revenue . The treacherous bus transportation circle at South Side School could also see improvements .

For residents concerned about privacy and data collection, the cameras will record every vehicle passing through monitored intersections, not just those committing violations .

Mathew Biadun’s concern that “every person in Connecticut should be able to drive to work, school, or the doctor without ending up in a government database” reflects a broader concern among residents about automatic license plate reader technology .

The inclusion of speed camera language in the ordinance, while not resulting in immediate implementation, has created uncertainty among constituents who want that part removed for further scrutiny .

Councilor Erick Rosengren reported hearing from constituents that they want the speed camera language taken out, despite Hahn’s explanation that speed cameras would require separate approval through the police board and city council .