Some drivers who were ticketed for running a red light in Alexandria, Virginia, will get refunds after the city identified what they called a programming error at one intersection.
Nearly $188,000 in fines from about 4,700 citations will be refunded, the city announced Thursday.
Virginia law requires that all red-light enforcement cameras have a half-second “amnesty period,” meaning that “citations will not be issued until a light turns red and 0.5 seconds have elapsed,” the city said in a statement.
A camera at Duke and S. Walker streets, near the Landmark Mall site, did not have that amnesty period. The city issued the erroneous citations between Jan. 26, 2016 and Oct. 4, 2019. Citations at that corner make up less than 0.05% of all citations issued in that period.
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All drivers affected by the error will receive a letter explaining how to get a refund, the city said. For more information, call 877-847-2338 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., with your citation number or license plate info ready.
Alexandria is taking measures to prevent this from happening again, they said.
