Revenue or Safety?
While the effectiveness of photo enforcement is questionable, one thing that is undeniable is the amount of cash they generate. Many municipalities generate thousands and sometimes millions from these machines, the party that always wins is the camera vendor. Below is evidence that we have found that photo enforcement really is all about the money.
Photo Enforcement Salesman Focuses on Revenue Generation
Feb. 3, 2012 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Companies that operate red light and speed cameras are always looking for receptive city councilmen willing to sign up for automated ticketing services. The general public rarely has the opportunity to review the pitch these firms make behind closed doors, as it is often contrary to the message they present to the general public. This turned out to be the case after a salesman at an upstart photo enforcement provider B and W Sensors decided to email a member of the Arnold, Missouri city council.
"Is it about the money?" Baine wrote in a September 20 email. "Of course it is. It just isn't coming from where the angry crowd had anticipated. And therefore the political will is with you. This pro-active position will support and protect your decision making process and provide real dollar returns back to your community."
Cunning road traps with speed cameras to cost motorists $200m in fines
Jan. 24, 2012 Daily Telegraph - ArticleExcerpt:
DRIVERS will pay close to $200 million in fines for speeding, red light and mobile phone offences in 2012, new statistics reveal.
Motorists paid $177 million in fines last year, up $7 million from the year before, despite the state government turning off 38 cameras that were deemed to be "cash cows."
Traffic cameras are about money, not public safety
Jan. 19, 2012 WashingtonExaminer.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Public safety is invariably invoked by local officials to justify the proliferation of red light and speed cameras in the Washington metropolitan area.
But such conventional wisdom is wrong, James Walker, spokesman for the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association, told The Washington Examiner. By interfering with the free flow of traffic, cameras actually create additional traffic hazards.
Texas: Top State Senator Says Red Light Cameras About Money
Jan. 17, 2012 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The most senior Texas state lawmaker admitted last week that he voted to save red light camera programs even though he knew they had no effect on public safety. State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston), who was first elected to the legislature in 1973, appeared on KTRH radio's morning news program to discuss how public opposition to red light cameras persuaded legislators to devote some of the camera profit to trauma centers.
Red Light Cameras Ticketing Drivers Who Stop at Lights
Jan. 12, 2012 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Cities around the country have begun dropping the use of red light cameras,which were once touted as the best way to stop drivers from "blowing through" red lights. Disappointed municipal officials invariably point to the systems' failure to generate the promised amount of revenue as the reason for the change. To keep from losing more clients, the red light camera industry's latest move has been to ticket drivers who stop at red lights to boost the number of potential violations.
Speed cameras raked in €630m
Jan 6, 2012 Connexion France - ArticleExcerpt:
SPEED camera fines generated €630 million in 2011, the latest figures show.
The announcement was made by Interior Minister Claude Guéant, who also gave road accident figures and rounded up new road safety rules. It comes as a ban on electronic equipment for warning drivers of cameras comes into force.
Owen Courreges: The inner workings of the speed traps
Jan 2, 2012 Uptown Messenger - ArticleExcerpt:
The Times-Picayune observed that another intersection with an abnormally high number of citations is Jackson Avenue at Chestnut Street, which has a 25 mph speed limit even though the speed limit on most large divided streets is 35 mph.
None of this should come as a surprise to anybody who has actually been paying attention to the debate over automated traffic enforcement. There is every indication that the cameras are designed for the sole purpose of generating revenue. Any consideration for safety is a secondary concern.
However, the real reason these cameras can continue to exist is because the city has made the decision to deny any kind of procedural protection to anybody who anybody who challenges a citation. It’s essentially impossible to get your money back, even if the ticket is bogus...
Maryland Mobile Work Zone Speed Cameras Generates $31M in Fines Over Last 2 1/2 Years
Dec 12, 2011 MyFOXdc.com - ArticleExcerpt:
WASHINGTON - The numbers are in for the speed cameras along the Capital Beltway. More than 21,000 drivers have been ticketed in three months.
All told, the Maryland State Highway Administration's work zone cameras have generated $31 million in fines in the last two and a half years -- and the newest work zone is quite active.
Carroll: Put a stop to red-light cameras
Nov. 9, 2011 Denver Post - ArticleExcerpt:
Denver has a new mayor, newly named police chief and a council with six new members. Maybe it's time for all of them to take a fresh look at the city's photo radar program, which is apparently issuing thousands of tickets every year that have nothing to do with public safety.
Study: Red-Light Cameras Are About Profit, Not Safety
Oct 28, 2011 KOAT - ArticleExcerpt:
A new study claims red-light camera companies care more about their bottom line than the safety of drivers.
The study comes after Albuquerque residents voted to give red-light cameras the boot, but the City Council still has to decide if the cameras will come down.
Saint Pete Covers Light Timers to Boost Red Light Cameras Revenue
Oct 27, 2011
Despite recession, Star Valley banks $3M
Oct 21, 2011 Payson Roundup - ArticleExcerpt:
Without photo enforcement, however, Star Valley would not have its financial standing today.
Although unpredictable, the cameras supply a steady stream of income where most towns rely on state-shared revenues, sales tax collections and property tax.
Peter Edridge: Turn lane's red-light camera is a golden goose
Oct 2, 2011 Redding.com - ArticleExcerpt:
If you drive in Redding you are already a part of the scheme, though not exactly on the receiving end of the deal. You will be doing your part when you are fined $459 by the Red-light Automated Camera System at North Market Street, as you turn right onto Lake Boulevard. The camera stationed at the intersection could better be described as the Golden Goose, because it continues to give and give — money that is, your money, to the camera's operator, Redflex, and to a line of eagerly outstretched hands from Sacramento to City Hall.
Carroll: Photo-radar cash cows
Sep 18, 2011 DenverPost.com - ArticleExcerpt:
I pass this stretch of road only on the occasional Saturday, and not once in recent months have I seen any construction to justify the 25 mph "work zone" speed limit. And yet nearly every time, a photo-radar van would be hunkered down on the west side, picking off one unsuspecting mark after another for having the nerve to drive in the 30s on a stretch of road where such speeds would seem to be as threatening as a scooter.
Photo radar here to stay
Sep 15, 2011 660News.com - ArticleExcerpt:
It doesn't look like Calgary will be rid of photo radar any time soon.
Alderman Diane Colley-Urquhart, who also sits on the Calgary Police Commission, tells The Calgary Sun it would be hard to replace the $40-million in annual revenue it generates.
Speed camera revenue on pace to reach $2 million
Aug 23, 2011 Sioux City Journal - ArticleExcerpt:
SIOUX CITY - The City of Sioux City is on pace to earn an estimated $2 million from Interstate 29 speed camera fines for the 2012 budget.
Emails raise questions about city's dependancy on cameras
Aug 19, 2011 Q13Fox.com - ArticleExcerpt:
For years, Lynnwood city officials maintained the cameras were installed for safety. Now, hundreds of emails between city staffers and the red-light camera company, Phoenix-based ATS, are raising eyebrows.
Senior police administrators admit losing income from using the cameras would leave a "big hole" in their budget and could lead to more lay-offs.
"The millions of dollars that it brings in each year have been put into the general fund and is financing the city," Jim Smith, a Lynnwood city councilmember said.
Victorian Government's speed camera cash cows
Aug 22, 2011 NY Daily News - ArticleExcerpt:
New York's driver nanny cams are working, generating more than $52 million in fines last year from unsuspecting motorists who blew through red lights while the cameras were rolling, records show.
Victorian Government's speed camera cash cows
Aug 18, 2011 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
MORE than 1.3 million motorists paid almost $250 million in speed and red light camera fines in the past year.
That boosted State Government coffers by $475 for every minute of 2010-11.
Figures obtained by the Herald Sun reveal most motorists were fined for doing less than 10km/h over the limit.
Bluff City officials enjoying $1.6M revenue from speed cameras
Aug 6, 2011 The Republic - ArticleExcerpt:
BLUFF CITY, Tenn. — Bluff City officials are enjoying the extra revenue from speed cameras that have generated more than $1.6 million in a little over a year, but the windfall could be short-lived.
Red-light enforcement brings towns big bucks
Jun 28, 2011 Asbury Park Press - ArticleExcerpt:
In Brick, for instance, the number of accidents at one intersection actually increased in the first year the cameras were operating. There also was an increase in the town’s coffers. After the state and the vendor got their fees, Brick still had well over $500,000 in revenue, which the town administrator said was used to offset property taxes.
Statistics from municipalities with cameras running the longest do not show a significant decline in accidents at those intersections. Officials say the idea is to change the behavior of drivers. "The plan is to reduce the serious crashes at those intersections where traditional traffic enforcement is not possible," said John Rein, a police captain in Brick, the first New Jersey municipality to have a red-light camera in operation.
Red Light Cameras Could Ticket One Driver Per Minute
Jun. 15, 2011Star Valley has rosy budget for coming year
Jun. 14, 2011 Payson Roundup - ArticleExcerpt:
With a $1.2 million rainy day fund, a projected $120,000 increase in photo enforcement revenue and state shared proceeds remaining steady; the town is well positioned to take on any new projects.
The town’s general fund has so far spent $1.75 million out of the $2.52 million budgeted.
Next year, the town is budgeting $870,000 in photo enforcement revenue, a $120,000 increase over this year’s adopted budget, but $167,000 less than what the town took in two years ago.
Photo radar cash cow a cash grab
Jun. 12, 2011 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
There may be no clear evidence that photo enforcement is making city streets safer. But there’s oodles of data that shows it’s a financial windfall for government and the large, for-profit corporation that runs photo enforcement in Winnipeg.Photo radar and red-light cameras took in a whopping $10.2 million in 2010, according to the city’s 2010 photo enforcement annual report.
Red Light Camera Revenue has Increased 419 percent since 2008
May. 4, 2011 The Pelican Post - ArticleExcerpt:
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The New Orleans Annual Operating Budget indicates that the city government has increased its reliance on revenue from red light and speed cameras to cover holes in the operating budget. Revenue from red light cameras, for example, has increased from $3.4 million in 2008 to a projected $18 million in 2011, an increase of 419 percent.
South Carolina: Internal Emails Reveal Speed Trap Profit Motive
Apr. 20, 2011 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
An ongoing federal lawsuit against the speed trap town of Ridgeland, South Carolina uncovered internal emails last month that shed light on the motivation behind the state's only photo enforcement program. Since July 2010, Ridgeland has allowed the private firm iTraffic to operate a mobile speed camera van on Interstate 95, despite a state law outlawing the practice and a pair of attorney general opinions warning that the photo ticketing was not legal.
Speed cameras yield $2.4M
Apr. 20, 2011 DiamondBackOnline.com - ArticleExcerpt:
According to city officials, revenue from the four cameras totaled about $2.4 million as of 10 days ago. City Director of Finance Steve Groh said the city will most likely have between $350,000 and $600,000 to spend after funds from that pool are deducted to pay the camera operating company and Prince George's County Police for certifying speeding citations.
Because state law mandates the money from speed camera citations be put toward funding public safety projects, College Park City Council members used last night's meeting to suggest such revenue uses, including installing security cameras around the city and improving street lighting.
Photo radar warning signs removed from medians: WiseUp Winnipeg
Apr. 1, 2011 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
City hall is reaching to dirty new lows in an effort to trap drivers into speeding or red-light-running infractions at camera-controlled intersections, says an advocacy group fighting Winnipeg’s photograph traffic enforcement.
WiseUp Winnipeg revealed Friday that the city has removed all such warning signs from medians where they had been erected for motorists heading toward cameras immediately ahead. Todd Dube, spokesman for the group, charged that the removal of the signs from at least 32 medians — sometime since June 2009 — is clearly part of the city’s stepped-up attempts to claw revenue from drivers.
Baker's budget expects $4.3 million from speed camera program
Mar. 17, 2011 Washington Examiner - ArticleExcerpt:
Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker is implementing a speed camera program that his budget director says will increase the county's revenue by $4.3 million.
The program is tucked inside Baker's proposed $2.6 billion budget for fiscal 2012. The county is facing a $77 million deficit, said Baker's budget director, Thomas Himler.
Speed cameras rack up $70m
Mar. 4, 2011 Yahoo.com (AU) - ArticleExcerpt:
The State Government reaped an extra $5.5 million from lead-footed motorists last year after a 13 per cent rise in the number of drivers caught exceeding the speed limit.
Police attributed the rise in infringements to more speed cameras and new digital technology, including dual-lens cameras and integrated speed-red light cameras.
Collaroy mobile camera turns a fast buck
Feb. 18, 2011 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
Logan Ave. and Main St. is another intersection with improper speed signage that makes it unclear to drivers that the speed limit has dropped to 50 km/h from 60 km/h. It’s likely why this intersection was the top money maker among the city’s intersection camera sites in 2009. With 6,569 tickets issued, it was the highest of any of the 49 intersections, according to the city’s 2009 Photo Enforcement Safety Program Annual Report.
Also, the installation of this camera had virtually no effect on collisions. Collisions went up slightly the year it was installed and then settled back down to levels that occurred prior to installation.
Collaroy mobile camera turns a fast buck
Feb. 9, 2011 The Manly Daily - ArticleExcerpt:
MOBILE speed cameras placed at Pittwater Rd in Collaroy have become one of the state’s biggest earners, clocking up almost $25,000 in fines over a four-month period.
“It makes me a little concerned that the data on mobile speed cameras is actually on the government’s Office of State Revenue website rather than any office associated with road safety,” he said.
Speed cameras "in wrong place"
Feb. 6, 2011 InishowenNews.com - ArticleExcerpt:
"More than thirty people have been killed on the Burt to Bridgend road over the years yet there are no cameras there because it is harder to catch people out on a 100kms route. I was told by the Gardai that these cameras would concentrate on accident black spots but that has not happened."
Platt: Double trouble for speeders
Jan. 24, 2011 Calgary Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
Two radar traps in the same school zone, nabbing motorists twice for the same speeding violation.
If only Calgary's police had actually managed to pull off the double ding on lead- footed drivers it might have solved their budget woes for the foreseeable future.
UK: Speed Camera Penalties Adjusted to Meet Revenue Goals
Jan. 5, 2011 Lutherville-Timonium Patch - ArticleExcerpt:
The contractor handling the county's speed camera program was paid more than 81 percent of the fines collected by the county during the first seven months the cameras were operational.
Baltimore County issued more than $1.7 million in speed camera citations last year to motorists photographed speeding past 15 school zone cameras.
UK: Speed Camera Penalties Adjusted to Meet Revenue Goals
Dec. 28, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Speed camera operators in the UK are looking to hike costs for "educational courses" and redeploy cameras to more lucrative locations to address a growing budget deficit. The options for the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership were discussed in an August 11 strategy meeting, the minutes for which were obtained from a freedom of information request. The partnership consists of local police agencies, local council members, the courts and the staff who run the speed cameras themselves.
Accident black spots speed camera-free
Dec. 27, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
ONLY four of Victoria's 20 most dangerous accident black spots are monitored by speed cameras.
Yet almost all of the most lucrative speed camera locations have been free of fatalities in the past five years.
Cedar Rapids Nets Over $1 Million From Traffic Cameras
Dec. 23, 2010 KCRG - ArticleExcerpt:
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The red light and speed cameras have now netted Cedar Rapids more a million dollars.
After nine months, the city says its collected more than $2.6 million in fines. A little over $1 million of that goes to the company who operates the cameras. So doing the math, that means the city of Cedar Rapids has taken in more than $1.5 million in net revenue.
Baltimore makes $15 million in speed camera citations
Dec. 13, 2010 ABC 2 News - ArticleExcerpt:
BALTIMORE - The city of Baltimore could make more than 15 million dollars in speed camera revenue during the first year of the program.
Speed cameras only raise revenue: Stoner
Dec. 12, 2010 Sydney Morning Herald - ArticleExcerpt:
New statistics showing speed cameras are not at known fatality spots in NSW prove the scheme is just in place to raise revenue, the state opposition says.
There were no fatalities at the state's most lucrative fixed speed camera at Moore Park in Sydney in the three years before the camera was installed, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Speed cameras and resentment linger
Dec. 3, 2010 Washington Post - ArticleExcerpt:
Work zone speed cameras stationed on D.C. 295 near the new Eastern Avenue bridge are snapping away weeks after much of the construction ended, angering drivers but still generating revenue for the District.
Oak Ridge share of red light revenue $1.4M, rising
Dec. 2, 2010 OakRidger.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Revenue generated from the traffic cameras collected through October is $2,488,029.83. Of that, the city's share is $1,358,354.54, and Redflex's share is $1,279,675.29.
Germany: Judge Blasts Speed Cameras as Cash Grab
Nov. 15, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A veteran district court judge in Herford, Germany earlier this month dismissed 42 speed camera citations on the grounds that they were not issued for any legitimate safety purpose. Judge Helmut Knoner blasted the use of cameras that has turned into a multi-billion-dollar worldwide industry.
Watchdog: Cardinal Gibbons closed, but 'school zone' camera remains
Oct. 9, 2010 Baltimore Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
The problem: A Southwest Baltimore school closed in June, but the "school zone" signs — and a speed camera — remain.
Fixed cameras proving futile
Aug. 22, 2010 Canberra Times - ArticleExcerpt:
FIXED speed cameras are failing to reduce accidents at Canberra traffic hot spots, with accident rates actually increasing since nine new cameras were installed in 2007-08.
But ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has defended their use and flagged the possibility of installing more fixed speed cameras throughout Canberra.
Figures obtained by ACT Liberal MLA Alistair Coe showed accidents at eight camera sites increased from 58.7 per year prior to installation to 67.9 after while pumping an extra $7million each year into government coffers.
Councils demand speed camera revenue
Aug 6, 2010 Brisbane Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Queensland councils want access to a slice of the speed camera revenue pie, saying the money would help them to upgrade local roads.
No red-light camera for San Bruno?
May 11, 2010 San Mateo Daily Journal - ArticleExcerpt:
Red-light cameras will most likely not become active at San Bruno intersections as city staff believes the safety measure would result in a $30,000 loss annually.
The city will spends thousands on other safety equipment, but when it comes to cameras they are not willing to spend any money. So is it really about safety? --admin
Radar aim exposed
Apr. 29, 2010 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
The city’s photo radar profits fell dramatically in 2009 after the Winnipeg Sun exposed last year how photo enforcement officers were ticketing motorists in construction zones when there was no risk to workers.
The drop in photo radar tickets resulted in a steep revenue decline for the city last year. Profits from photo enforcement plummeted to $4.9 million, down from a peak of $8.8 million the year before — the largest photo enforcement jackpot the city has experienced since the launch of the program in 2003.
Meanwhile, in obvious anticipation of the revenue decline following the photo radar controversy, police ramped up speeding tickets handed out the old fashion way.
Speeding tickets issued through conventional means soared last year 44% to 21,977, up from 11,441 the year before. It’s by far the highest number of conventional speeding tickets issued by police since the city began issuing photo enforcement reports in 2004.
States add red light cameras to see more green
Feb. 4, 2010 News.Com.AU - ArticleExcerpt:
AN increase in speed cameras is all about revenue-raising and not about saving lives, Queensland's police union says.
"Since 1997 and 1998 we have seen more speed cameras and more hours allowed for speed camera operations out there and the road toll has not decreased," Mr Leavers said.
States add red light cameras to see more green
Feb. 4, 2010 Washington Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Lawmakers around the country are turning to speed cameras to mask the deficits caused by their reckless spending. This is a misuse of the police power to raise revenue for big government.
States add red light cameras to see more green
Jan. 27, 2010 WTOP - ArticleExcerpt:
More states are using the technology as a way to bring in money during tough economic times.
New York is hoping to close a big budget gap by adding more speed cameras. Gov. David Paterson wants to see 50 photo radar vans approved quickly, so they can generate $96 million in profit by 2012. The cameras would be installed mainly along freeways and work zones.
Watch your speed in California, too. The state has a plan to add 500 cameras that would issue tickets up to $325 for each violation. California lawmakers hope the cameras will bring in $400 million in profit.
JP suspends red light cameras, looks to create IG's office
Jan. 27, 2010 WWLTV - ArticleExcerpt:
Wednesday, the Jefferson Parish Council passed an emergency ordinance, halting the red-light camera program.
Councilman Chris Roberts said he asked for the suspension to give the parish time to investigate the business affairs of the private company that manages the system.
Quebec photo radar generates $4M
Jan. 26, 2010 CBC News - ArticleExcerpt:
Quebec's photo radar program has generated nearly $4 million in revenue since ticketing began in mid-August.
New York Governor David Patterson Pushes Speed Cameras
Jan 20, 2009 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
New York Governor David A. Patterson (D) is joining a number of other states in promoting the use of freeway speed cameras as a way to address his state's massive $7.4 billion budget shortfall. Patterson's budget proposal, released yesterday, includes a plan to deploy fifty photo radar vans to generate $96 million in net profit for the general fund by 2012.
Adelaide speed cameras in 'wrong spots'
Jan. 17, 2010 Adelaide Now - ArticleExcerpt:
NEW police data has led to accusations the Rann Government is using speed cameras as cash cows instead of targeting accident black spots.
Figures released under Freedom of Information laws show that last year, just two of the top 10 revenue-raising speed camera sites were located in SA's worst black spots.
Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire, who obtained the data, said the records for 2008 and 2007 also showed that, in most cases, the top-earning speeding camera locations were not in the worst places for speed-related accidents.
Speed sensors on red-light cameras could raise money fast
Jan. 9, 2010 LA Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Reporting from Sacramento - Speeding may be dangerous for drivers, but it could soon be a boon for California's fiscal health.
Tucked deep into the budget that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled Friday is a plan to give cities and counties the green light to install speed sensors on red-light cameras to catch -- and ticket -- speeding cars.
"This is a budget item for the state?" said Lew Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee. "This is totally reprehensible."
Johnson: Speed camera revenues are 'just another tax'
Jan. 9, 2010 WTOP.com - ArticleExcerpt:
County Executive Jack Johnson calls the fines they would generate "just another tax."
"It's disguised as a fee and a fine, but it's a tax," says Johnson.
Analysis: Short Yellows Boost Revenue for Texas Cities
Dec. 16, 2009 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
A number of Texas cities are exploiting short yellow timing at intersections, generating significant additional revenue, according to a review of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) data by TheNewspaper. The citation issuance rate at the nine intersections with the shortest yellow timing in the state was four times greater than the ticket issuance rate at locations that offered yellow times exceeding statewide averages.
For example, among photo enforced intersections in Texas with a posted speed limit of 55 MPH, the average yellow time was 4.9 seconds. The city of El Paso, however, allowed an Australian company to set up a traffic camera at the intersection of Gateway North Boulevard and Woodrow Bean where the yellow was shorter by 0.4 seconds. This seemingly minor difference resulted in a 132 percent increase in the number of citations issued for every 10,000 vehicles entering into the intersection compared to the locations with longer yellow durations.
Texas Red Light Cameras Generate $100 Million in Tickets
Dec. 12, 2009 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light cameras in the Lone Star State generated $95,799,675 worth of tickets in a twelve month period according to reports filed with the Texas Department of Transportation. Private vendors based in Australia, Arizona, Dallas and England used a total of 333 cameras installed across 36 Texas cities to mail 1,277,329 tickets between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.
Speed cameras boost revenue in DC, Md.
Dec. 12, 2009 WTOP - ArticleExcerpt:
Police departments that use them say speed radar cameras help reduce speeding, and the number of tickets issued tends to drop over time. But more people are getting ticketed in D.C., where revenue from speed radar cameras increased from $20.9 million in fiscal year 2008, to $33.3 million in fiscal year 2009.
Local Speed Cameras Make Big Bucks
Dec. 10, 2009 MyFoxDC.com - ArticleExcerpt:
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Officials say safety is the reason they've installed dozens of speed cameras in D.C. and Montgomery County, but now there's new proof that those cameras are a cash cow for local jurisdictions.
Intent of red-light camera law crashed into money-hungry cities
Nov. 25, 2009 THe Daily News Online - ArticleExcerpt:
Some senators had been trying for years to let cities do camera enforcement. Since 2001, though, the bill had died. The chief worries were that the state might be denied a cut of money it currently gets from moving-violation tickets, and that local cities might milk the cameras as money-generating bonanzas.
So in 2005, senators came up with a clever solution. Make the photo tickets equivalent to parking tickets. So legally they aren't moving violations. And financially they wouldn't be "cash cows" for the cities.
It didn't turn out that way. Seattles cameras have churned out more than 75,000 red-light tickets since the program began three years ago. At $124 a pop. Seattle currently charges $38 for a parking ticket.
It's clear from listening to this old debate in the state Legislature, through TVW's archives, that traffic cameras never would have passed without these restrictions.
None of the cities are paying heed. Despite what Haugen said and other legislators echoed, the cities say there is one $250 parking fine on the books -- for illegally parking in a disabled spot. So that gives them carte blanche to charge anything up to that amount.
Australian Audit Report: Safety Not Sole Concern in Speed Camera Deployment
Nov. 20, 2009 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
A report by the Auditor General of Tasmania, Australia released yesterday called into question whether speed cameras were being deployed based on revenue concerns. A team of investigators interviewed police officials, examined documents and other records in order to analyze the state's photo ticketing program over the course of eight months. The final audit questioned why safety concerns did not appear to guide camera placement.
'Dangerous' speed camera rakes in 500,000 a year
Nov. 14, 2009 Telegraph - ArticleExcerpt:
Crashes have risen by almost a quarter and casualties have almost doubled since the camera was installed on a busy stretch of the M11 in Essex, in 2000.
Now, details revealed under Freedom of Information legislation, show that the device results in up to 9,000 speeding tickets a year, enough to raise around 500,000 [pounds].
Maryland Cities Create School Zones for Speed Camera Use
Nov. 3, 2009 The Newspaper - Article Alternate Article, ABC 2 NewsExcerpt:
Maryland cities will create brand new "school zones" in an attempt to issue speed camera tickets on roads that previously had no need of the designation. When the state legislature authorized speed cameras six months ago in response to a $690,506 lobbying campaign from photo ticketing and insurance companies, lawmakers mandated that the cameras could only be used within a half mile of a school zone. Baltimore is among the first to admit that it will bypass that restriction.
Massachusetts: Red Light Cameras Proposed to Fight Deficit
Nov. 2, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) on Thursday outlined his plan to reduce the state's $600 million deficit and help struggling municipalities by, among several other revenue raising measures, installing red light cameras. The governor's proposed fiscal year 2010 budget amendments would eliminate an existing state law forcing police officers to issue traffic citations personally. Under the new legislation, any jurisdiction in the commonwealth could give private, for-profit companies the right to issue $100 traffic tickets.
Red light cameras: not enough green
Oct. 31, 2009 The Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
In the last decade, red light cameras have sprouted at bustling intersections across the San Bernardino Valley in hopes of reducing traffic collisions and injecting additional revenue into cities.
Now some of those cities have either opted out of their contracts with Arizona-based Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc. or are considering doing so, citing lack of revenue and a growing uncertainty of the cameras' effectiveness.
City: Red-Light Cameras Not As Profitable As Hoped
Oct. 14, 2009 KMBC.com - ArticleExcerpt:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Problems are starting to emerge with Kansas City's red-light camera program.
KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported that the problems may be severe enough that the program that was designed to make money for the city may end up costing money.
California City Makes a Million From Split Second Mistakes
Jul. 21, 2009 TheNewspaper - ArticleExcerpts:
Red light cameras have come under fire recently for focusing on vehicles that make right turns on red, a maneuver that is rarely responsible for causing an accident. But even cities that do not issue many right turn tickets focus on another type of violation that is not dangerous. According to data obtained from the city of Fullerton, California, tickets mailed to the owners of vehicles entering a through intersection less than a second after the light turned red added up to nearly $1 million last year. These technical violations rarely cause accidents.
A 2004 Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) study showed that right angle accidents -- the type caused by straight-through violations of red signals at intersections -- do not happen until an average of nine seconds after the signal had changed from yellow to red.
Red-light cameras raking in cash
Jul. 12, 2009 Chicago Tribune - ArticleExcerpts:
That one device generates $60,000 to $70,000 a month in revenue from traffic fines for the western suburb, Bellwood Comptroller Roy McCampbell once declared as he likened the camera to "Lotto or casino type operations."
"That intersection is a guaranteed amount of money," McCampbell boasted to an Illinois Municipal League seminar in a 2007 presentation that was recorded and posted on YouTube."... It just keeps popping."
The vast majority of red-light camera tickets are issued for failure to make a complete stop before a right turn on red -- not for blowing through an intersection.
The 25th and Harrison locale is unusual for a red-light camera because traffic only flows in three directions, not four, reducing the likelihood of side-impact crashes. The east side of the intersection is flanked by the back of Wilson Elementary School, and its presence is one of the reasons officials gave for placing the camera there. But the entrance to Wilson is a block away and there's no crosswalk at the intersection. What's more, the school has been closed for a year.
Colorado: City Dumps Camera Plan Over Revenue Concern
Jul. 6, 2009 TheNewspaper - ArticleExcerpts:
The city of Thornton, Colorado decided last week to drop the idea of installing red light cameras after spending more than a year attempting to make the idea work. In the end, the city council was unable to arrive at an acceptable guarantee that, no matter what, the program would make money. A directive handed down by city leaders last year explained the primary objective.
So it turns out that the city thinks it has a safety problem but they don't want to spend any money to address it. While they have probably spent money on installing and upgrading signals, signs, and traffic devices through the years, they are unwilling to spend any money on traffic cameras that will supposedly lead to improved safety. --admin
Texas City Caught Trapping Drivers with Short Yellows
Jul. 4, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A Texas motorist caught the city of Baytown using short yellows to trap motorists at a photo enforced intersection and of failing to protect sensitive private information. At a press conference yesterday, Byron Schirmbeck and his attorney, Randall Kallinen, announced that the city had agreed to drop a $75 ticket issued on April 12 for making a right-hand turn just 0.2 seconds after the light had turned red at the intersection of West Baker and Garth Roads. The yellow time at this intersection was set at just 3.1 seconds, even though state guidelines indicate that the yellow should have lasted no less than 4 seconds.
City of Pasadena receives setback in bid to use radar to control speeders
Jun. 28, 2009 Pasadena Star-News - ArticleExcerpt:
But state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Walnut, a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, which was scheduled to hear the bill before it got derailed last week, saw ulterior motives behind the proposal.
"This looks like more of a local revenue-generation bill than a good safety bill," said Huff.
An analysis of the proposal by state officials also concluded there was no evidence that lowering speeds would make local roads safer.
"When asked if there were a safety issue associated with speed on these streets, the city of Pasadena was not able to provide evidence ...that would indicate a safety problem," according to the analysis, which accompanied the bill.
Red Light Camera Program Returns to Virginia
Jun. 17, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light cameras have returned to Northern Virginia. The city of Alexandria announced for the first time yesterday that a private company has re-installed cameras at three intersections with citations going out on July 15. Until now, the city has been quiet about the revived program, hoping to avoid a public discussion of the controversy over accidents that persuaded the legislature to shut down the program in 2005.
According to a report by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the total number of accidents increased 43 percent at the Alexandria intersections where red light cameras were used. Across the five main cities in the state using cameras, the report found an overall increase in injury accidents of 18 percent. This time, Alexandria did not consider bringing back cameras for safety purposes.
"The Red Light Camera program is not considered a core public safety service," Alexandria City Manager James K. Hartman wrote in a March 24, 2008 memo to the city council.
Instead, the city has missed the revenue from the 82,000 tickets issued over the lifetime of the program.
Red-light camera loses backer: Village may dump device after seeing no reduction in accidents
Jun. 29, 2009 Chicago Sun Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Bucking a national trend of putting in cameras to catch red-light runners, northwest suburban Schaumburg may get rid of its only red- light camera system because it doesn't do enough to prevent accidents.
"I think the camera should go," said Schaumburg Village President.
"We're trying to be a town that's attractive to shoppers and tourists, and harassing them with red-light cameras when there's no justification from a public-safety standpoint just doesn't make sense," Larson said.
California: Grand Jury Slams City for Short Yellows
Jun. 25, 2009 TheNewspaper - ArticleExcerpts:
The Ventura County, California Grand Jury on Monday slammed the city of Ventura for using short yellows to trap motorists at an intersection where a red light camera snaps $1.5 million worth of tickets each year. Of the city's eighteen automated ticketing machines, only the one located at the intersection of California Street and Thompson Boulevard consistently tops the charts.
"California Street has three traffic signal-controlled intersections," the report stated. "The grand jury observed that the yellow light interval at the north and south approaches to California and Thompson had the shortest duration, one full second shorter than other yellow light intervals at intersections on the same street having the same posted speed limit."
Red Light Camera Program Returns to Virginia
Jun. 17, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light cameras have returned to Northern Virginia. The city of Alexandria announced for the first time yesterday that a private company has re-installed cameras at three intersections with citations going out on July 15. Until now, the city has been quiet about the revived program, hoping to avoid a public discussion of the controversy over accidents that persuaded the legislature to shut down the program in 2005.
According to a report by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the total number of accidents increased 43 percent at the Alexandria intersections where red light cameras were used. Across the five main cities in the state using cameras, the report found an overall increase in injury accidents of 18 percent. This time, Alexandria did not consider bringing back cameras for safety purposes.
"The Red Light Camera program is not considered a core public safety service," Alexandria City Manager James K. Hartman wrote in a March 24, 2008 memo to the city council.
New Jersey: Pedestrian Fatalities Not Caused by Right Turns
May. 23, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Nearly two dozen cities throughout the state of New Jersey are preparing to install red light cameras to ticket motorists. In order to "save pedestrian lives" these programs, like others throughout the country, will issue up to ninety-five percent of citations not to straight-through red light runners but to the owners of vehicles that make rolling right-hand turns on a red. This type of turn rarely causes accidents in the Garden State.
The Bergen, New Jersey Record newspaper obtained accident records from the state transportation department and found that no pedestrians were killed anywhere in New Jersey by drivers making right-hand turns in either 2006 or 2007. In fact, during the same period, nearly a quarter of all pedestrian fatalities could be attributed to drunks stumbling into traffic. The Record's findings match those of a US Department of Transportation report that showed right-turn on red collisions were rare.
Smoke and mirrors
May. 17, 2009 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
Winnipeg's photo radar program was supposed to reduce the number of vehicle collisions and injuries on city streets when it was launched with great fanfare in 2002.
But after five years of use and mountains of data collected, there is no evidence the controversial program -- now under growing pressure to be scrapped altogether -- has achieved that goal, according to internal police reports obtained by the Winnipeg Sun.
Winnipeg police are required to submit reports on photo enforcement to the province every year. The reports are supposed to include all aspects of the program, including how photo radar is deployed and how effective it has been at reducing collisions and injuries.
However, after five years of program use, police have failed to provide any empirical evidence that photo radar has reduced crashes.
The truth about speed cameras: revenue not safety (OPINION)
Apr. 27, 2009 Examiner.com - ArticleA well-worded opinion piece worth reading regarding cameras in Maryland.
Washington Deploys Work Zone Cams Despite No Worker Fatalities
Apr. 27, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
"The men and women who work on our state and local highways are often working in and near traffic, and we want everyone to go home to their loved ones at the end of their work day," WSDOT Secretary Paula Hammond said in a statement.
According to WSDOT's own statistics, however, they do go home safely each night. Ninety-nine percent of "work zone" accidents in the state only affect drivers and their passengers, not workers. Washington's findings mirror those of national statistics that show automobiles pose far less of a danger to highway workers and that the latter are most frequently killed while operating their own equipment. Even so, no highway worker has died on the job in Washington in the past seven years.
"Pedestrians, flaggers and roadway workers account for only one percent of these injuries or fatalities," the WSDOT website admits. "Most deaths and injuries in work zones are caused by rear-end collisions."
Cities Upset That Increasing Yellow Light Time Length Reduces 'Revenue'
Mar. 24, 2009 TechDirt.com - ArticleWith the news that Mississippi has passed a law banning traffic light cameras because it's an invasion of privacy, it's worth looking a bit to the east, where some cities in Georgia are taking down their red light cameras not because of privacy issues, but because a new law required them to increase the length of time that a light is yellow by one second -- and that's decreased red light violations so significantly, that red light cameras have become "too expensive". This is what critics of red light cameras have said from the beginning: it's always been about the revenue, rather than the safety. If you want safety, all you need to do is increase the length of yellow lights, and you have fewer people running red lights and significantly fewer accidents. But... if revenue is your goal, then you do things like decrease the yellow light timing -- which is what a few cities have been caught doing.
Garfield Heights Mayor Thomas Longo looks at traffic cameras for money to fix budget deficit
Mar. 28, 2009 Cleveland.com - ArticleArticle Excerpt:
Longo said the cameras will improve traffic safety, but he conceded that money prompted the proposal.
"You really don't want to say we did it for finances, but really we are," he said.
The traffic cameras have generated money from fines everywhere they are used, he said.
California: City May Dump Cameras Over Insufficient Revenue
Mar. 6, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Upland, California City Council is expected to vote Monday to stop using red light cameras because the program has not only failed to improve safety, it has also failed to generate sufficient revenue. In a memorandum to the city council, Upland Police Chief Steve Adams recommended canceling the city's contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, the Australian company that has been issuing tickets on Upland's behalf since November 2003.
"The monthly revenue from the service has not covered the salary and benefits of those who review and issue potential violations," Adams wrote. "Redflex also desires to eliminate an $8,900 credit per month, which has allowed the system to remain financially neutral at best."
Upland's problem began in 2001 when the company that is now doing business as ACS was caught manipulating pavement sensors in a way that boosted the number of tickets issued in San Diego. At the time, the vendor was being given a monetary award for each red light citation the company generated. The state legislature responded to the scandal with a law banning compensation of the private company operating red light camera programs "based on the number of citations generated, or as a percentage of the revenue generated." To avoid upsetting local governments, contracts signed prior to January 2004, like Upland's, were grandfathered. The law only applied to new contracts.
California: City May Dump Cameras Over Insufficient Revenue
Mar. 3, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Upland, California City Council is expected to vote Monday to stop using red light cameras because the program has not only failed to improve safety, it has also failed to generate sufficient revenue. In a memorandum to the city council, Upland Police Chief Steve Adams recommended canceling the city's contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, the Australian company that has been issuing tickets on Upland's behalf since November 2003.
Virginia: How Shortened Yellow Yielded Greater Profit
Jan. 8, 2009 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleVDOT decided to increase the yellow timing from 4.0 back to 5.5 seconds. The impact was immediate and dramatic. Average monthly violations dropped from 250 to between 20 and 30 per month -- a 90 percent decrease.
California: Another City Dumps Red Light Cameras
Oct. 23, 2008 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Following San Jose, California's recent decision to reject red light cameras, the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte yesterday decided to put an end to photo ticketing after five years of use proved disappointing. With a unanimous vote, the city council declined to renew its contract with Australian camera vendor Redflex because, according to police, the cameras failed to produce any reduction in the number of intersection accidents. More importantly, however, the devices failed to produce revenue.
6 Cities That Were Caught Shortening Yellow Light Times For Profit
Mar. 26, 2008 National Motorists Association - ArticleShort yellow light times at intersections have been shown to increase the number of traffic violations and accidents. Conversely, increasing the yellow light duration can dramatically reduce red-light violations at an intersection.
Some local governments have ignored the safety benefit of increasing the yellow light time and decided to install red-light cameras, shorten the yellow light duration, and collect the profits instead.