Red light cameras are coming to the city of Pittsburgh.

Councilors said it will make the streets safer.

But you might be surprised who 11 Investigates found out has been running the red lights.

“If the light is yellow, I’ve noticed that everybody goes through it,” said Sarita Pearce, a downtown pedestrian.

It didn’t take long for our cameras to see cars and SUVs running red lights in Downtown Pittsburgh and pedestrians with their heads on a swivel.

“When the light turns red, I will wait and make sure the car stops before I go,” said another pedestrian.

“When the light turns red, they still go through it. Buses do it all the time,” Pearce said.

And we saw lots of Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses running red lights.

“Every time. I’m on the buses when they run red lights,” Pearce said.

We showed the video of buses repeatedly running red lights downtown to Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, who is behind the effort to bring red light cameras to the city.

“It’s obvious,” Councilwoman Strassburger said as she watched the video.

She admitted that bus drivers have a difficult job, with a tight schedule.

But she said it is a “big concern” to see bus drivers running red lights.

“I hope that at the end of it, bus drivers have more freedom, a little more wiggle room in their schedules so you don’t feel the need to run these red lights,” Strassburger said.

A PRT spokesperson told 11 Investigates that they are now working with the city “to find out how the cameras handle buses — especially 60-foot buses, which are significantly longer than your average car, truck, SUV or minivan.”

Strassburger said PRTs will be treated just like any other driver.

Drivers will be fined $100, similar to a parking ticket, with no impact on their license or insurance.

And the PRT said the operator will be responsible for the fine unless it is determined that the violation was issued improperly.

The spokesman said the PRT would then help the operator fight the fine and the infringement.

Pedestrians said the PRT should not receive any special treatment or consideration.

“I’m on the bus. It’s my life they’re putting at risk,” Pearce said.

PRT declined to comment on the buses we saw running red lights.

“The sole purpose of this is not to ticket people. If you drive safely, you don’t get a ticket, you don’t get the fine. It’s to get people to pay attention, drive the speed limit. Don’t run red lights,” Strassburger said.

Over a five-year period in the city of Pittsburgh, drivers who ran red lights caused 759 accidents and seven fatalities.

“I think about my kid and so many other kids out there. It should be safe for them to walk down the street and go play,” Strassburger said.

“It would make it a lot safer,” said another pedestrian.

But 11 surveys also found that fewer cities are using red-light cameras.

That’s down from 500 a decade ago to 337 now.

But other cities, such as New York and Washington DC, have recently added more cameras.

There is also conflicting information about the effects.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said red-light cameras reduced fatal crashes by 21%, but a study by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles showed an increase in crashes, particularly rear-end collisions, at intersections with red-light cameras.

Earle asked Strassburger about that report.

“It’s going to be really important to pick exactly the right vendor and make sure our implementation is right,” said Strassburger, who added that the city will monitor crash data and make adjustments as needed.

Some entities have suggested that this is just a way for the city to make money.

11 Investigates asked Strassburger about it, and she said the city gets enough money to cover the cost of the program, but the rest of the fine goes directly to PennDOT and they use the money for grants for transportation improvements throughout the state.

Pittsburgh becomes the fifth municipality in Pennsylvania to use red light cameras.

All municipalities send the fines to that PennDOT fund.

Strassburger said Pittsburgh has already received some of that grant money thanks to the red-light cameras in the other Pennsylvania cities.

To begin with, the city of Pittsburgh plans to equip up to five intersections with red light cameras next year.

Strassburger said the city hopes to expand the program.

Signs that the cameras are rolling will be posted at the traffic signals.

And for the first two months, drivers will only receive a warning.

After that, there will be a $100 fine.

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