For months, drivers had been warned that Honolulu’s new red light and speed cameras would eventually start issuing real fines. The Department of Transportation stated that once the warning period ended, mailed citations would be sent to registered owners for running red lights and exceeding posted speed limits at ten Honolulu intersections.
What to watch for: Officials involved in the program say the speeding buffer is set at about five miles per hour over the posted limit.
The program originated as a red light safety initiative at intersections where crash data indicated frequent collisions and pedestrian injuries. In March, Hawaii DOT expanded it to include speed enforcement, and reports suggest the cameras have mailed thousands of warning notices each week to drivers exceeding the limit. Citations are expected to replace them. DOT insists the goal is safety, not revenue, but the change will test that claim.
Dual enforcement begins.
Each citation still must be verified by a state reviewer before mailing. Fines are expected to average about $250 and will be sent to the registered owner rather than the driver.
The cameras at these intersections now perform both functions. They already ticket for red light violations and will soon do the same for speeding. A driver could, in theory, receive citations for both offenses in a single crossing.
Rental car companies and citations.
If the registered vehicle owner is a rental car company, they will receive the citation. You probably know what’s coming next. Under most standard rental agreements, the company can pay the ticket and then charge the renter later, adding a processing or administrative fee. For visitors, that could mean receiving a notice or fee long after the trip ends.
Visitors versus residents.
The question of who gets caught more, residents or visitors, has been a flashpoint ever since we first wrote Hawaiis Speed Traps Begin Will Visitors Or Residents Get Caught.
Many readers said locals would bear the brunt because of impatience with slower tourist traffic. Eva commented that residents get frustrated with visitors driving too slowly, while Alex wrote that fines are overdue for locals who blow through red lights and stop signs. Others believe visitors will pay more because they lack local familiarity and are less likely to contest tickets once they are home. Don predicted that the new system would give visitors traffic citations while locals find ways to get them waived.
The reality may be mixed. Visitors risk surprise rental car fees, and residents who commute through these intersections daily risk multiple tickets if they are not careful.
Reader feedback on signage and speed limits.
Reader feedback also focused on Hawaii’s uneven speed limits and signage. Susan wrote that limits can drop from 50 to 25 in an instant, while Pam added that many signs are blocked by foliage. Others pointed to short yellow lights that leave little reaction time.
DOT has said that signal timings meet national standards and that all locations were chosen after safety studies. It also maintains that all fine revenue stays in a dedicated fund used only for camera operation and oversight, and that Verra Mobility, the vendor, is paid a flat service rate rather than per citation. That may help counter the cash grab narrative, but skepticism remains nonetheless.
Legal questions and fairness.
Legal questions continue to drive debate. The Judiciary says it is ready to process hearings through an online system, although it remains to be seen how quickly cases will move once the volume of cases increases.
How to avoid citations.
Drivers can take steps now to avoid fines. Check posted limits before entering camera zones, which are currently located along Vineyard, Pali, Likelike, Kapiolani, Beretania, Ward, and McCully corridors. The ten intersections are: Vineyard and Palama, Vineyard and Liliha, Vineyard and Nuuanu, Pali and Vineyard, Pali and North School, Likelike and North School, Ward and South King, Kapiolani and Kamakee, South Beretania and Piikoi, and McCully and Algaroba.
Expect mailed citations for exceeding the limit by more than five miles per hour. Navigation apps that warn of camera zones can help, but should not replace attention to speed signs.
Visitors should review their rental car contracts to understand fine and fee policies since agencies often bill first and explain later. Local drivers should remember that even small lapses can add up quickly on familiar routes.
Local perspective.
We are residents of a neighbor island, Kauai, yet we both drive regularly in Honolulu. Even after decades, we still find it challenging. The speed limits change quickly, and it can be easy to end up in the wrong lane or miss a sudden merge. For us, this new camera system is a concern as well, and it serves as a reminder of how confusing Honolulu driving can be, even for long-time Hawaii residents.
What happens next.
DOT has not issued a formal announcement confirming the date when citations begin, but all indications point to early November. When that happens, Oahu will move from pilot project to permanent enforcement. The department says automated monitoring has reduced major crashes by about 69% at those intersections since activation, according to HDOT’s February 28, 2025, report. Whether the public sees it as progress or punishment will depend on how fairly and transparently the rollout is handled.
The first weeks of ticketing will reveal how this all plays out. If accident numbers continue to drop and most drivers adjust quickly, the program could gain acceptance. If these new stationary cameras create confusion, surprise billing, or a sense of unfair enforcement, it could trigger the same kind of outrage that toppled the van cam program 20+ years ago.
Tell us what you think. Will Hawaii’s new camera program make the roads safer, or is it just another government cash grab?
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Sorry to say the police here don’t stop reckless driving. Will police officers also be fined when they speed and run lights? Why not put them in the rich areas, and where policy makers live to be fair. Hawaii is already expensive give us a break already.
How about quit whining and just drive the speed limit and don’t run red lights… what a concept. Manage your time better. Leave earlier. Who cares if it’s about money, save lives. You won’t be paying money if you follow the law. Hate to say it, but locals are the worst. And you all know it. Somehow you break the law and it’s someone else’s fault? Come on. Mai namunamu
Don’t believe the statement, “DOT insists the goal is safety, not revenue.”
If safety were truly the goal, we’d see more squad cars on patrol instead of cameras. These traffic cameras often cause more accidents, with drivers slamming on their brakes as they approach them. They’re not about safety — they’re about generating revenue.
As a visitor, two things worry me:
– If experience is any guide, the rental companies will add outrageous fees. In some cities I have heard up to $50. It would be nice if the County/State could consider limiting these fees (I know this is laughably optimistic)
– From experience in other cities, being ticketed on right hand turn is a major point of contention, especially if you are expected to wait three seconds before turning. Is this the situation in Hawaii?
“DOT insists the goal is safety, not revenue“
Bwahaha! ROFL
Can’t believe the DOT in any state. This is a new revenue source.
Just another money grab by a corrupt, and inefficient local government in the state of Hawaii.
I’m all for proper traffic enforcement, but that begins with proper deployment of uniform personnel in a directed patrol, targeting specific geographic areas where that enforcement is needed.
Most speed, camera enforcement entities, when audited see that there are a lot of problems with reliability and even worse there is no accountability for the inefficient installation and monitoring of speed cameras.
The state of Hawaii continues to do everything in its power to make visitors and tourists feel unwelcome, and they are far exceeding their own expectations.
Getting ticketed for going 5 over is too punitive and quite ridiculous in any state, street or road in America. Draconian even. Now if it’s 10 or over, that’s palatable, and hard to argue against.
These were removed by law in Texas because they were deemed illegal and unconstitutional and were also run by a third party private company, not by the state, and they were a city ordinance which means all they can do to you if you dont pay it is put a registration block in that county. Which is the whole island here so you better pay em! Until they eventually get removed….for being unconstitutional…all it takes is one of these rich Hawaii politician’s kids getting a handful of these tickets and they’ll sew em right out the state like other places. We have constitutional protections for a reason. The state and DOT here need to learn that.
Use the cruise control in your car to go the speed limit. New cars have great cruise control and the car stops when traffic stops and goes when traffic starts moving again. If you get a ticket tell the court to check the history of your cruise control
If rental car companies can pay the ticket and then send you a bill for the ticket and added administration fee then how do you even know you really received a ticket? Rental companies can just say you got a ticket when you really didn’t. Do they send you a picture of you driving from the camera or just send you a bill a week later.
Pretty simple – and I’m talking to locals. Slow down, stop at red lights not gas it and turning right on red when thru traffic has a green is also illegal. 100% they need the ticket hammah because the lack of safety has gotten worse!
I say send $500 tickets all day for red lights and stop signs. Someone too slow? Your problem, leave earlier.
I’m sick and tired of my family being in danger on the roads here.
Tempest in a teapot—this has been tried, and failed where we live. Why? Very simple-lack of staff to physically review every single infraction. It takes a lot of manpower to make this program work. Doesn’t take drivers long,either, to figure out how to make the licence plate unreadable to the camera.
Interesting how this program morphed from a redlight running program, which I endorsed due to the prevalence of flagrant redlight runners, to one that will also tag speeders, a program that was shut down due to its inherent unfairness. 5 MPH allowance? Big woops. Without consideration for time of day, and traffic conditions, it Is a money grab that has very little to do with anybody’s safety. In fact, I would think most safety experts, lawmakers, HPD officers, and even our mayor will be receiving citations. I hope we’re all treated equally under the law.
I too barely supported the red light cam. I Thought these cameras could also be used for crime investigation. Never thought they would think of using for speed enforcement. I remember the van cam that caused a lot of traffic. These technology does not have common sense to adjust what really is safe. I just got a letter, supposedly I was “speeding” in April. How does getting a ticket 6 months later help anything. I am 67 years old and drive to keep the flow (don’t want people flipping the old man off) and even adjust slower or faster to avoid hazardous conditions. An example would be the skinnier lanes we have here so I try to stagger my car. Oh yeah as a 67 year old I barely remember yesterday lol. Also wanted to mention what about all the times people have to go 20 miles under the speed limit due to all the traffic.
I’m in Southern California and this practice failed. The bottom line: This appears to be part of the tourist industry money grab adding in with the increased taxes and fees the State has decided to go. The residents of Hawaii are really the ones that will have to deal with it.
Other cities have implemented this traffic cam thing. People tend to be furious. But at the same time it is such a money-maker for communities. Not sure how Honolulu will pull this one off.
Resident here who’s torn on this. I hate reckless driving, but I also hate the feeling that every intersection is now a trap. It’s stressful enough driving in Honolulu already and this feels like it will just make matters worse.
It’s not a trap any more than any other tax. The government and its cronies need more money
Oh great. Visitors are simply going to freak out when they start getting these tickets weeks later from rental companies and start writing about it on Reddit. Imagine coming home to that surprise charge.
I’ve lived in Honolulu my whole life and the driving is bad for sure, but this isn’t the fix. It’s just one more way to drain people’s pockets.
This feels like another Hawaii money grab, plain and simple. It might make roads safer, but $250 for a few miles over? Come on. That’s rude. I’ve gotten one of these no warning, tickets in the mail after the fact, elsewhere, and I hated it.
It’s definitely about the money. The company that sells the cameras makes presentations to municipalities & the focus is on revenue. DC started small, now cameras are everywhere & they continue to add more. It’s their largest source of revenue, exceeding taxes.
Hope, you are exactly right.
Studies have confirmed that installing red light cameras at intersections actually increases accidents (caused either by drivers speeding up to beat the light or slamming on their brakes to stop in time).
Red light cameras have nothing to do with ‘safety,’ they are simply another money grab with a private company extorting money from drivers and splitting the loot with Hawaii politicians.
Aloha is dying a slow, horrible death…
Was going to write the same thing… I believe it was a TX city that determined it was more dangerous.
Glad there is someone else out there who actually does the research
Exactly! So if you give it a little gas to avoid entering the intersection on red, or to keep from getting rear-ended by slamming on the brakes, they will now ticket you for speeding!
Lose-Lose situation while the pols are laughing all the way to the bank.
And BTW, every yellow light in the county is mis-timed at 3.8 seconds. Makes no difference if you’re doing 25, 35 or 45 MPH. Even a 3rd grader can spot the flaw in that setup.
Just another taxing device. Pretty simple. Keep voting these geniuses into office. Enjoy!
Yes, I agree, the real winner is the company that sell the cameras.