This community-led effort in November 2024 counted the number of red light runners at 24 major intersections in Lexington during the morning rush hour. Our team of 42 volunteers braved the wind, cold, rain, and snow to capture this important data on driver behavior in our city. We instructed volunteers to follow what’s directed in KRS 189.338.

We are shocked, but not surprised, at the number of red light runners our volunteers counted. This is a public safety issue that affects all residents – whether they are a pedestrian or a driver.

• 3 intersections surveyed saw an average of over 100 red light runners per hour during our count period.
• 5 intersections surveyed saw an average of 50 to 99 red light runners per hour during our count period.
• 16 intersections surveyed saw an average of 49 or fewer red light runners per hour during our count period.

The intersections with the most red light runners included Alumni Drive & Man O’ War Boulevard (142 per hour), Nicholasville Road & Cooper Drive (136 per hour), Leestown Road & Opportunity Way (119 per hour), Nicholasville Road & Reynolds Road (92 per hour), and Leestown Road & Citation Boulevard (64 per hour).

Thank you to our team of volunteers and our community partners (John’s Run/Walk Shop, West Sixth Running Club, Broomwagon, and Lexington Week Without Driving) for supporting this effort.

And, thank you to our local news media for covering this topic and our efforts in such detail. Throughout November, our efforts were featured in articles in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Fox56, LEX18, and WKYT.

What can we do with this information? Our primary goals were to raise awareness about this issue and work to change the behavior of drivers. Through various media outlets, we feel we have put a strong spotlight on how prevalent this issue is in our city. In order to change the behavior of drivers, we need to work with both local and state leaders, as both levels of government have a part to play in tackling this issue.

Locally, we have seen strong support of our efforts from city councilmembers, with at least two members of next term’s council participating in our week-long count. In the new year, we plan to advocate for several measures within Lexington’s government, including dedicated funding for targeted enforcement of red light runners, better signage at intersections for where to stop when turning right on red, better timing of the stop light network to improve the flow of traffic, and education for drivers and pedestrians on their responsibilities on the road. And, we will continue to support complete streets, vision zero, and other pedestrian safety initiatives.

At the state level, our main goal is changes to Kentucky state law to allow for automated enforcement (like red light cameras and speed cameras). Over 20 other states utilize red light cameras, speed safety cameras, or both, and have found significant reductions in the number of drivers running red lights after implementation. Since at least 2019, legislators on both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation to allow some form of automated enforcement in Kentucky, but no bill has made it out of committee.

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