ST. LOUIS – St. Louis may be on the verge of following in the footsteps of St. Charles County and installing a new $10 million intersection safety measure that would make intersections safer for emergency vehicles and motorists.
It would turn the lights green to let emergency vehicles through and red for everyone else. St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green voted on the measure last year, but it fell short.
“Definitely yes, my office is working in collaboration with the mayor’s office on a comprehensive automatic traffic enforcement safety plan,” she said. “That plan would involve red light cameras, potentially speed cameras, and also the ability for intersection lights to change if there’s a first responder vehicle that is approaching that intersection.”
FOX 2’s You Paid For It team brought the idea to former Alderman Joe Vaccaro last year. Vaccaro convinced the entire Board of Aldermen to go along with it, and it cleared preliminary approval by the entire board.
The idea for intersection safety in the City of St. Louis stemmed from St. Charles County’s intersection safety plan, which was designed to make it safer.
“I saw when you did the story, I said this is actually a very good, you know, it seems like a really good idea,” Vaccaro said. “As for where things stand now, I don’t need credit for it; let’s get it through. I’m not an alderman anymore. I’d like to know that I’m safe when I’m in an intersection.”
Green said the plan for intersection safety is a priority.
“I think once we figure out the funding for it, it is going to pass,” she said.
She said the goal is to pass it this session.