CURRENT NEWS - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 NEWS ARCHIVES
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The latest headlines from the world of photo enforcement. Updated almost daily...
'Crazy' speed camera flashes all drivers
Dec. 29, 2010 Austrian Independent - ArticleExcerpts:
Red-faced police in Salzburg have admitted a speed camera has flashed every driver regardless of the speed they were going for several hours.
Photo radar van attacked, worker inside hurt
Dec. 23, 2010 Winnipeg Free Press - ArticleExcerpt:
A 75-year-old man working in a photo radar van in Elmwood was hurt after a bat- wielding man battered his windows and damaged equipment.
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against South Carolina Speed Trap
Dec. 23, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A federal class action lawsuit was filed Monday against the notorious speed camera trap in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Three law firms teamed up to make the case against the town's outspoken mayor, Gary Hodges, members of "the local police department and iTraffic, the private company that operates the cameras on Interstate 95. The case was filed on behalf of residents of Greer, South Carolina; and Dunnellon and Kissimmee, Florida.
Redflex suing Tempe to get bigger cut of traffic tickets
Dec. 20, 2010 AZ Family - ArticleExcerpt:
TEMPE, Ariz. – A photo radar company is suing the City of Tempe for a bigger cut of its profits.
The city is being sued by Redflex, the company that builds and operates cameras. Executives at the company want a bigger cut of the profits from traffic tickets.
Libertarian Party To Fight Red Light Cameras
Dec. 20, 2010 WCTV - ArticleExcerpt:
WINTER PARK, FL - Through its Executive Committee, the Libertarian Party of Florida has voted to support future legislation to ban the use of red light cameras within the State of Florida.
The Libertarian Party of Florida does not condone running red lights, but it is clear the installation of these cameras greatly increase the chances more Floridians will be sent to the hospital with debilitating injuries. Many studies on this phenomenon have been conducted over decades and they tend to come to the same conclusion - a dramatic increase in accidents where the cameras have been installed. They found that the number of rear end collisions increased as drivers would "panic brake" during a yellow light sequence in an attempt to avoid the automatic fine.
South Carolina: Legal Challenge to Renegade Speed Trap Town
Dec. 16, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Class action attorneys have set their sights on a South Carolina town that set up a freeway speed camera in defiance of state law. Since August, the town of Ridgeland has allowed the private company iTraffic to operate a speed camera system to mail tickets worth $133 to $300 each to the owners of vehicles photographed as they pass through a tiny stretch of Interstate 95. The fully automated system is housed in a recreational vehicle that is usually concealed behind a bridge. When state legislators heard of the town's plan, they unanimously enacted a law to prohibit the use of speed cameras.
Ohio: State Court Green Lights Traffic Camera Case
Dec. 14, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The red light camera program in Cleveland, Ohio faces serious legal trouble as the state's second-highest court ruled Thursday that a class action lawsuit could proceed. In its decision, a three-judge panel of the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Eighth Appellate District overturned a county court ruling that had blocked a class action challenge to the city's issuance of photo tickets to the drivers of leased vehicles. The appellate court insisted that the case had merit as did a federal appeals court in a separate case decision over Cleveland's automated ticketing machines handed down last month.
Some cities bailing on red-light traffic cameras
Dec. 14, 2010 SignOnSanDiego.com - ArticleExcerpt:
While the state collects millions of dollars from red-light cameras at intersections, several California cities are starting to question whether the safety benefits are worth the high cost to their own coffers.
In Los Angeles, City Controller Wendy Greuel released a report earlier this year saying the city's red-light camera program is actually costing the city money — up to $1.5 million annually. Her study found no improvement to traffic safety due to the program.
Whittier shuttered its program in November, choosing not to renew its contract with Nestor Traffic Systems, citing no improvement in traffic safety and declining revenue, the Whittier Daily News reported.
Petition against Port Lavaca red light cameras is a go
Dec. 8, 2010 VictoriaAdvocate.com - ArticleExcerpt:
PORT LAVACA - In Port Lavaca, the red-light camera issue is heating up again, as a citizen gets ready to submit a petition asking the city council to schedule a vote removing the cameras.
Two More California Cities Reject Red Light Cameras
Dec. 8, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light cameras are nowhere near as popular as they once were with Golden State municipalities. Loma Linda and Whittier became the most recent examples of California cities unplugging their automated ticketing machines after noting that the devices both failed to reduce accidents and generate the promised amounts of revenue.
Missouri: Police Chief Admits Red Light Cameras Made No Difference
Dec. 7, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The top cop in the city of Washington, Missouri admitted last week that there is no evidence that red light cameras have made a change for the better. Police Chief Kenneth W. Hahn compiled accident information from 36 months prior to camera installation for comparison with 33 months of after data. The results were not favorable.
Whittier drops photo red-light enforcement program
Dec. 6, 2010 Whittier Daily News - ArticleExcerpt:
WHITTIER - The city has scrapped its photo red-light enforcement program, citing a decline in revenue and no improvement in traffic safety.
In addition, traffic statistics showed that the two intersections were no more safe than before the photo-radar systems were installed in early 2004, he said.
Maryland: The Speed Camera Fire Hazard
Dec. 5, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A speed camera van in Fruitland, Maryland spontaneously caught fire on November 27, the Pulse of Salisbury blog reported. Officials explained that the extra batteries installed in the vehicle caused an electrical fire and emphasized that this was not a vigilante attack.
Lawsuit targets red-light camera contracts
Dec. 4, 2010 San Francisco Examiner - ArticleExcerpt:
The residents of Daly City and Palo Alto have filed class-action lawsuits accusing red-light camera vendors of signing illegal contracts with several Peninsula cities and calling for the companies to reimburse those who were fined.
Complaints lodged over speed cams
Dec. 4, 2010 Winnipeg Free Press - ArticleExcerpt:
A traffic watchdog group has filed complaints with Manitoba's ombudsman and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada on how Winnipeg operates its speed-camera enforcement program.
Todd Dube of Wise Up Winnipeg said he filed complaints this week with both agencies to compel the Winnipeg Police Service to release data on red light offences captured by the cameras since the program's inception in 2003.
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.
Expert hits out at Hertfordshire speed camera policy
Dec. 3, 2010 Herts Advertiser - ArticleExcerpt:
Safety engineering manager Eric Bridgstock, of Evans Grove, St Albans, has spent the last three years conducting independent and unfunded research into the effectiveness of speed cameras.
As a result he has built a national campaign to remove them on the basis that there is evidence that they have a net negative impact on road safety despite claims to the contrary.
Lucky escape as speed camera van set alight
Nov. 27, 2010 Independent.ie - ArticleExcerpt:
Gardai were last night hunting for the arsonist who set one of the new speed monitoring vans on fire.
The civilian van operator had a lucky escape when the front of the vehicle was set alight and flames quickly spread to the rear where he was using the survey equipment.
New Mexico: Photo Enforcement Locations See More Accidents, Injuries
Nov. 24, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Las Cruces, New Mexico city council on Monday agreed once again to continue using a photo enforcement program that has proved to cause a significant increase in accidents. The jurisdiction in May reluctantly complied with a New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) order shutting down automated ticketing on state roads. Officials ignored the evidence at the time that accidents had increased, not decreased as promised, at photo enforced locations.
Gone in a flash: Thieves rob van of speed cameras
Nov. 18, 2010 MenMedia.co.UK - ArticleExcerpt:
Red-faced motorway contractors watched in horror as bogus workers stole their van – containing speed cameras worth £32,000.
9OYS: Tucson fixes traffic light issue
Nov. 15, 2010 KGUN9 - ArticleExcerpt:
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - The City of Tucson has made some changes after 9 On Your Side raised questions about traffic lights at one of Tucson's newest red light camera intersections.
Traffic officials send [photo] ticket to dead man
Nov. 16, 2010 WAFB - ArticleExcerpt:
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A Baton Rouge widow was surprised to get a traffic ticket in the mail from Florida addressed to her deceased husband.
California: Red Light Camera Class Action Suit Advances
Nov. 9, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A federal class action lawsuit seeks to take advantage of last month's California Supreme Court's red light camera decision. The high court let stand a lower court ruling that invalidated citations on the ground that the city of Santa Ana's failed to provide the legally required warning periods before activating the automated ticketing machines. Motorist Robert Plumleigh was forced to pay $480 on March 17, 2008 after a camera accused him of turning right at a red light at one of the sixteen intersections where the city failed to provide the required thirty-day warning period. He wants Santa Ana to refund all illegally issued tickets. US District Court Judge Cormac J. Carney on Wednesday gave Plumleigh's lawyers an extra thirty days to file for class certification.
Red Light Cameras Routed at Ballot Box
Nov. 3, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The public rejected the use of photo enforcement in five more municipal referendum elections Tuesday. America's fourth-largest city, Houston, Texas, was home to the most hotly contested vote. The group Citizens Against Red Light Cameras, run by brothers Paul and Randy Kubosh, gathered enough signatures to force the issue onto the ballot against the wishes of the city council and in spite of a legal attack from camera operator American Traffic Solutions (ATS).
Outspent by a factor of ten to one, the group nonetheless won a majority of the 335,778 votes cast on the measure. According to campaign finance disclosure documents, ATS poured $1,746,000 into the race, in a desperate attempt to salvage one of the company's most important accounts.
Speed Camera Torched Near QO High School
Nov. 1, 2010 North Potomac-Darnestown Patch - ArticleExcerpt:
A speed camera at Quince Orchard Road and McDonald Chapel Drive in Gaithersburg was set on fire early this morning.
Until they are both back online, he said officers will patrol the area carefully and use laser speed guns to ensure motorists are obeying the law.
Traffic cams: Endangering rights – and lives
Oct. 28, 2010 World Net Daily - ArticleExcerpt:
Only a few months ago, a Laura Frazier reported that crashes increase at corners where traffic cameras are rolling. "New data released by the sheriff's office shows 24 crashes at [an intersection in Brandon, Fla.] from January through March, after the traffic monitoring devices were installed. There were nine accidents at the corner in the same period last year." This is hardly empirical data – but there's plenty of that. Red-light and traffic cameras are far from an automotive safety panacea. Multiple studies, in fact, show that red-light or traffic cameras increase accidents.
California, Louisiana Supreme Courts Thumb Down Traffic Cameras
Oct. 28, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The highest courts in California and Louisiana yesterday denied the requests of municipal officials desperate to save their photo enforcement programs. In New Orleans, the red light camera and speed camera program must shut down after the Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously rejected the city's request to overturn the decision of Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Paulette R. Irons who found earlier this month that the program violated the city's own charter.
New Mexico: Study Shows Photo Enforcement Increased Accidents
Oct. 26, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Photo enforcement cameras are temporarily disabled in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a study by the University of New Mexico failed to offer a complete justification for the program. Mayor Richard J. Berry announced that he would eliminate six of the twenty red light camera intersections where accidents increased the most. He also will stop issuing speed camera citations at intersections -- although he plans to keep three vans to set up mobile photo radar traps. While the contract with Redflex Traffic Systems is expired, Berry is seeking a better deal from other photo ticketing vendors.
Speed camera operator Redflex to settle with State Government
Oct. 21, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
REDFLEX has agreed to pay the State Government a six-figure sum as penalty for problems with the Hume Freeway speed cameras.
"The Department of Justice is in ongoing negotiations with Redflex over compensation for the fault in the point-to-point camera system on the Hume Highway," a department spokesman said.
Tempe man sues city, Redflex over 2008 photo radar ticket
Oct. 20, 2010 ABC15 - ArticleExcerpt:
TEMPE, AZ - A Tempe man wants $8 million in damages for getting a photo radar ticket two years ago.
Daniel Gutenkauf filed the lawsuit this month naming the City of Tempe, Redflex which operates the cameras, and a slew of other defendants. He claims that the system is unconstitutional and that the agencies involved are committing fraud by failing to identify the drivers properly and failing to certify the citations.
Drivers seek justice for fines sent from faulty Hume Freeway speed cameras
Oct. 19, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
THE floodgates are open for legal challenges against fines issued through the Hume Freeway speed cameras.
Several disgruntled motorists yesterday told the Herald Sun they planned to fight their fines in court.
Cops admit cameras flawed
Oct. 18, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
A TECHNICAL glitch has forced police to switch off all point-to-point speed cameras along the Hume Highway.
The embarrassing bungle has seen Victoria Police take unlawful action against drivers on at least nine occasions.
Speeding enforcement camera catches the wrong culprit
Oct. 17, 2010 Chicago Tribune - ArticleExcerpt:
•Sonia Nano has never been to Sangamon County.
•She does not own a 2005 Nissan.
•She in no way, shape or form looks like the woman caught on camera May 25
speeding through a construction zone on Interstate 55.
So the Chicago resident was more than a little confounded to learn she was issued a ticket for driving 62 miles per hour in a 45 mph work zone.
That could be the case at East Valencia Road and South Nogales Highway, where collisions went up nearly 14 percent from 2007 to 2009 - from 22 in '07 to 25 in '09. By June there had been 10 collisions there this year. Not only are accidents up, but police report injury accidents are, too.
Arizona: Racketeering Suit Filed Against Speed Cameras
Oct. 13, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A motorist is using federal anti-racketeering statutes to go after the red light camera and speed camera program in Tempe, Arizona. Dan Gutenkauf filed his complaint last week in the US District Court for the District of Arizona and happened to land the same judge, Frederick J Martone, who presided over the recent American Traffic Solutions (ATS) vs. Redflex case which is currently under appeal. The suit names Redflex employees, police officials, politicians and judges as defendants.
Analysis: Loma Linda yellow lights were illegally short
Oct. 13, 2010 Contra Costa Times - ArticleExcerpt:
From the time the city installed red-light cameras in December of 2005 until November of 2006, three intersections had yellow lights set 0.3 seconds shorter than California's legal minimum, the documents show.
"I as the mayor am apologetic to the community for the Redflex camera business that we were associated with," he said. "I hate these cameras more than anyone else in Loma Linda."
Traffic camera torched by bonfire in Bywater
Oct. 10, 2010 WWLTV.com - ArticleExcerpt:
NEW ORLEANS – Police are trying to find determine who started a bonfire underneath a traffic camera in the Bywater.
Tuesday evening, someone allegedly doused a tire with gasoline and set it on fire under the traffic camera, knocking out the camera which is set up in the 3400 block of Chartres Street.
Fines drop the longer cameras are in place
Oct. 10, 2010 AZ Star Net - ArticleExcerpt:
In 2009, the only full year the cameras have been in operation, of $4.6 million collected, $2.1 million went to the Supreme Court, $1.5 million went to ATS and about $800,000 went to police and court salaries. That left $200,000 for the city's general fund.
That could be the case at East Valencia Road and South Nogales Highway, where collisions went up nearly 14 percent from 2007 to 2009 - from 22 in '07 to 25 in '09. By June there had been 10 collisions there this year. Not only are accidents up, but police report injury accidents are, too.
Australia, France, Poland, UK: Speed Camera Accuracy Concerns Grow
Oct. 9, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleA court in Melbourne, Australia has thrown out a speed camera citation over accuracy concerns, the Herald Sun reported. Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court last month dismissed the case against Robert Levasseur after he was able to show the same time codes were printed on a series of sequential camera photos. Despite the obvious error, officials insisted there is nothing wrong with the camera and it will continue to issue citations.
In West Dorset, England a motorist has succeeded in identifying a flaw in one of the country's most notorious speed cameras. Paul Snowball found that the automated ticketing machine on the A35 at Chideock relies upon improperly spaced pavement markings as a secondary accuracy check. Officials claim that they use lines painted five feet apart on the pavement to conduct a crude time-distance calculation to verify that the radar speed reading is correct. The lines on the pavement at this location, however, were 4 foot 6 inches or 4 foot 8 inches apart. Snowball's case was dismissed, the Dorset Echo reported.
In Silesia, Poland, motorist Wieslaw Rekowski was mailed a 150 zloty (US $53) fine for allegedly speeding in a Jeep. Rekowski, however, owns a Volkswagen Golf and never goes to the area in which he was accused of driving 72 km/h (45 MPH) in a 50 km/h (31 MPH) zone. Officials blamed the false charge on a "rare mistake," Super Express reported.
A woman whose car was registered in Guadeloupe, an archipelago in the Lesser Antilles, was accused by a camera of speeding in Paris, France -- 4,200 miles away. Police have rejected all attempts to resolve the bogus ticket and insist full payment must be made, DOMActu reported.
Photo radar ticket quashed — it wasn't about safety
Oct. 8, 2010 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
A Winnipeg man had his photo radar ticket tossed out of traffic court Tuesday after a magistrate agreed the location the motorist was nailed in was not a bona fide school zone.
Texas City Caught Again With Illegally Short Yellow Time
Oct. 6, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Baytown, Texas has been caught using an illegally short yellow time at the latest city intersection to be monitored by a red light camera. Tickets have been issued since January 30 at the intersection of Cedar Bayou Lynchburg Road at Garth Road where the yellow time is set to 4.0 seconds, the bare minimum acceptable amount for an intersection posted at 40 MPH according to Texas Department of Transportation guidelines. The Baytown Red Light Camera Coalition (BRLCC) uncovered the fact that the intersection approach is in fact posted with a 45 MPH sign, meaning the bare minimum legal yellow for the location is 4.3 seconds, not 4.0 seconds.
Accidents down after speed cameras go
Oct. 5, 2010 The Courier - ArticleExcerpt:
The need for speed cameras in Tayside and Fife has been called into question after statistics revealed the number of accidents on the area's roads has fallen as the number of cameras has been reduced.
Provisional figures released through the Scottish Parliament show the number of accidents across Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross and Fife dropped to 1497 last year, compared to the year before's total of 1507.
In the same period the number of speed cameras fell from 77 to 53 across the area.
Death rates INCREASED by 20mph zone... and getting rid of cameras reduces accidents
Oct. 3, 2010 Daily Mail - ArticleExcerpt:
Reducing the speed limit to 20mph in all residential streets does not significantly improve road safety, an official report has revealed.
Towns around the country are planning to introduce the limit in the belief that lower speeds save lives.
However, analysis of the first citywide scheme in Portsmouth has shown the number of people killed or seriously injured actually increased after the speed limit was reduced from 30mph.
Meanwhile a town where all the speed cameras were switched off has reported a sharp drop in the number of accidents.
Over the past year there have been 14 minor and two serious accidents in the streets of Swindon monitored by cameras.
This compared with 15 minor, five serious and one fatal accident in the same streets the previous year when cameras were operational.
Red light cameras under fire in lawsuit against city
Oct. 1, 2010 The Potpourri Tomball - ArticleExcerpt:
A lawsuit filed in March 2009 against the city of Tomball regarding its use of red light cameras is still in the appeal stages over whether or not the city can even be sued.
The suit against the city claims all red light camera fees issued by the city are void or illegal, and asks a judge to order the city to refund fees to all violators. The suit is also against Redflex Traffic Systems.
Judge Suspends City's Traffic Camera Program
Oct. 1, 2010 WDSU - ArticleExcerpt:
A civil district court judge has issued an injunction suspending the city's red-light and speeding camera program.
Washington said the city's charter stipulates that the police department shall regulate traffic. But the ordinance creating the camera program puts it under the public works department.
Will Palm Coast return red light camera fines?
Oct. 2, 2010 CF News 13 - ArticleExcerpt:
PALM COAST -- The city of Palm Coast may be the next to give back money it collected from red light camera citations.
Lawyers from a West Palm Beach law firm have filed a class-action suit challenging the citations issued before July 1 -- the date that the state law took effect to legalize photo enforcement.
Stop-sign cameras catch SoCal drivers off guard
Oct. 2, 2010 Kennebec Journal - ArticleExcerpt:
But the nation's first stop-sign cameras, introduced in 2007, have angered critics who think they're another aggressive government tactic to squeeze money out of motorists.
"Enforcement of something so small to add to the revenue stream strikes me as very wrong," said Eli Sanchez, who was nabbed twice for breezing past a stop sign at the entrance to a park overlooking the San Fernando Valley.
California: Los Angeles Auditor Finds No Safety Benefit to Red Light Cameras
Sep. 30, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - Article ||| Daily News LA - Alternate ArticleExcerpt:
Los Angeles, California City Controller Wendy Greuel yesterday issued a scathing 77-page critique of the red light camera program responsible for ticketing 44,542 Angelenos last year. While city officials insisted that ticketing "red light runners" caused a significant reduction in accidents, the numbers show that 67 percent of those tickets were actually mailed to people making right turns on red, not running red lights. The auditor found no credible evidence that safety had improved at the monitored intersections.
The total number of collisions at camera locations did decline 72 percent between 2004 and 2008, but they increased 53 percent from 2008 to 2009 -- at a time when accidents at locations without cameras had dropped 14 percent. Rising gas prices and the recession led to a significant drop in traffic volume from 2004, forcing auditors to label the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) safety claims as "misleading" because they did not take into account broader trends that could explain the change in accidents.
Traffic camera scam: Fake support of photo enforcement red light and speed cameras
Sep. 30, 2010 LA Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Although the red light and speed cameras are despised for a number of reasons, with one of the best likening them to crack cocaine and cities getting addicted to the money they bring in, batches of comments always seem to crop up in support of them.
These supportive comments, seemingly written by real-life citizens with real-life concerns, pop up like buffelgrass on traffic camera articles throughout cyberspace.
Two of those new red light cams are coming off line, for now
Sep. 29, 2010 LA Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Some 45% of Los Angeles' red-light camera tickets are currently unpaid, partly because holds are not placed on driver's licenses and vehicle registrations for unsettled photo enforcement infractions, Los Angeles officials said Wednesday.
The disclosure came as City Controller Wendy Greuel issued an audit finding the photo enforcement program bypassed some of the city's most dangerous intersections and is costing the city more than $1 million a year to operate, despite fines and fees that can exceed $500.
Two of those new red light cams are coming off line, for now
Sep. 28, 2010 KGUN 9 - ArticleExcerpt:
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Two of those on-again, off-again traffic cams just installed in Tucson, are off again.
In the wake of persistent questions from KGUN9 News, the city announced Tuesday afternoon that it is temporarily shutting down the Grant/Swan and Speedway/Kolb cameras.
Validity of Tucson's recent red-light camera tickets questioned
Sep. 28, 2010 Fox 11 AZ - ArticleExcerpt:
Excerpt:
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Two of those on-again, off-again traffic cams just installed in Tucson, are off again.
In the wake of persistent questions from KGUN9 News, the city announced Tuesday afternoon that it is temporarily shutting down the Grant/Swan and Speedway/Kolb cameras.
Red light camera data in full [Accident Up in Winnipeg]!
Sep. 27, 2010 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
If you check out the Manitoba Public Insurance crash stats for the 12 red-light locations where cameras were installed in 2005, you’ll see the collisions numbers are even worse than what we've been reporting so far.
...we have two years of crash data prior to the installation of the cameras. And what it shows is that the increases in crashes for most of those locations are even more pronounced.
$130,000 in Central Coast speed cameras fines to be handed back
Sep. 24, 2010 Cumberland Courier Newspapers - ArticleExcerpt:
MORE than $130,000 is to be repaid to Central Coast motorists fined after being caught on speed cameras.
Gosford deputy mayor Craig Doyle said he had obtained information that the State Government was to repay fines totalling almost $4 million after many of the cameras - at least nine of them on the coast - were found to be faulty.
Speed cameras 'don't stop REAL danger motorists' despite 300% increase during Labour government
Sep. 24, 2010 Daily Mail - ArticleExcerpt:
Despite bringing an almost 300 per cent increase in fines, speed cameras do nothing to curb reckless driving, damning road safety reports revealed yesterday.
But the report concluded: 'With the surge in speed camera devices between 1995 and 2005, especially since 2002, the number of convicted speeding drivers has increased. 'However, individuals' subsequent pattern of convictions has largely remained unchanged – so drivers are behaving much as before.
State Declines to Prosecute High Profile 'Serial Speeder' Case
Sep. 24, 2010 CameraFraud.com - ArticleExcerpt:
After a high profile arrest and making a big deal about a 'serial speeder' case in which a Peoria man was alleged to have been caught by a speed camera 55 times (12 of which were criminal), the state has silently dropped the charges and refuses to pursue the case to trial.
Brentwood installs cameras after speed limits lowered
Sep. 23, 2010 Washington Examiner - ArticleExcerpt:
The Maryland State Highway Administration lowered the speed limit along a stretch of Rhode Island Avenue, then encouraged the nearby town of Brentwood to request speed cameras there.
The consulting group -- which also sells speed camera equipment -- conducted a study of the area and concluded the school zone would be safer with traffic cameras. The group sent its findings to the SHA. The highway agency then authorized Brentwood to install a camera in June.
The agency said the 35-mile-per-hour speed limit was changed because it was found "incorrect" following a routine review of school zones, SHA spokeswoman Kellie Boulware said. In March, the Traffic Group determined 85 percent of drivers cruised that route at 39 to 45 miles per hour. States and local governments base speed limits primarily on how fast the 85th percentile of traffic is driving, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Pedestrian traffic, visibility and accident rates can affect those limits, however.
Katz responds to [increase in] photo radar crashes
Sep. 23, 2010 Winnipeg Free Press - ArticleExcerpt:
Mayor Sam Katz says he's "genuinely concerned" about Manitoba Public Insurance statistics that indicate an increase in collisions at most of Winnipeg's original red-light camera intersections since 2003 when the city's photograph traffic enforcement began.
MoDOT: Charlack speed cameras pose danger to drivers
Sep. 24, 2010 KMOV - ArticleExcerpt:
(KMOV) – Motorists may be upset over the new speed cameras in Charlack, but the Missouri Department of Transportation says they may actually be dangerous.
Red-light cam disgrace: Crashes increase 18% at intersections where devices installed
Sep. 22, 2010 Winnipeg Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
The average number of collisions at Winnipeg's 12 original red-light camera intersections has jumped 18% since the devices were installed in 2003, according to Manitoba Public Insurance data obtained by the Winnipeg Sun.
Despite claims by politicians and police brass that intersection cameras are making our streets safer by reducing collisions, the MPI data shows after six years of use, crashes at the intersections are actually going up, not down.
No big driving changes since photo radar ended
Sep. 17, 2010 KTAR - ArticleExcerpt:
PHOENIX -- The director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety has not seen much of an increase in speeding drivers since the photo radar cameras went off on state freeways two months ago.
"I haven't seen any changes in behavior, I don't see people sort of flying down the highways, although I'm sure it exists some place," says Alberto Gutier.
Some in Grand Terrace want red light cameras yanked
Sep. 17, 2010 Press Enterprise - ArticleExcerpt:
Two Grand Terrace City Council members want the city to pull the plug on red light cameras in the face of declining revenue and demands from the private company that operates them.
Council members Lee Ann Garcia and Bea Cortes called for Grand Terrace not to renew its contract with Redflex Traffic Systems at a council meeting this week after the company threatened to impose $27,500 in late fees on payments it is owed by the city.
'Countless' Served Tickets May Be Invalid
Sep. 16, 2010 Camera Fraud - ArticleExcerpt:
Widespread, illegal certificates of service, admittedly completed by office workers instead of the actual server.
Oak Lawn cameras produce mixed results
Sep. 14, 2010 SouthtownStar.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The four red-light cameras that monitor Oak Lawn's streets have produced mixed results when it comes to reducing crashes and getting drivers to heed traffic signals, according to data provided by the village.
In contrast, the intersection of 95th and Ridgeland, which has had its camera since November 2008, is on track to see 39 percent more violations for 2010 than for 2009. The number of crashes also has spiked at the intersection, going from 13 for all of 2009 to 20 through August of this year.
Web of outrage on mobile speed cameras
Sep. 13, 2010 Daily Telegraph - ArticleExcerpt:
ANGRY road users have declared war on the State Government's new mobile speed cameras, confronting the operators face to face and posting pictures of the vans and occupants on the internet.
The direct action is the latest in an online war against speed cameras, and follows new software that sends the location of speed and red light cameras direct to a driver's mobile phone.
Speed camera doubts
Sep. 13, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
That suggestion has been strengthened by documents seen by the Herald Sun. Those documents reveal the EastLink cameras have been plagued with a litany of faults, corrupt data and damaged hardware.
The documents raise serious doubts about the accuracy of the cameras.
Red-light cameras: Do they live up to hype?
Sep. 12, 2010 TheNewsTribune.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The News Tribune analyzed accident data at 14 red-light camera intersections in Pierce and South King counties to investigate whether cities' safety claims were true.
Judging by early numbers, it's hard to tell for sure – in part because the cameras haven't been around for very long.
According to the data available, total accidents declined slightly at the camera intersections the year after the cameras were installed. So did the number of T-bone accidents – the side-impact crashes often caused when drivers run red lights.
Yet the combined number of injury accidents at the intersections increased, according to the analysis. Rear-end accidents also went up.
California: Red Light Camera Programs Face Class Action Suit
Sep. 12, 2010 SBsun.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Grand Terrace has until Oct. 2 to make up late payments of $72,203 stemming from a series of miscalculations or face an additional $27,500 in late fees.
Redflex initially waived the city's late fees, but when the city missed the June catch-up date, the company announced it would charge 1.5 percent interest on all payments, retroactive to when they first became overdue, if it did not receive payment by Oct. 2.
Maryland, Australia, Spain: Traffic Cameras Beset With Accuracy Issues
Sep. 11, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
On average, red light cameras and speed cameras in Adelaide, Australia go haywire twice a week, according to documents obtained by the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper. Over the course of two years, a total of 213 incidents of the devices breaking down -- sometimes photographing drivers who have done nothing wrong.
In Spain, more than 100,000 illegally inflated photo radar citations have been issued since May 24, according to the European Motorists Association (AEA)...
Fernau: I would change my vote on photo enforcement
Sep. 10, 2010 WMICentral.com - ArticleExcerpt:
SHOW LOW - Mayor Rick Fernau says if he had to vote for photo enforcement all over again, he would say, "nay." A letter to the Copper Country News in Globe from Fernau was published Wednesday. In it, he said while photo enforcement has reduced speed and traffic accidents, he would probably change his vote based on what is effective and the appearance photo enforcement creates for visitors.
California: Red Light Camera Programs Face Class Action Suit
Sep. 2, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A team of experienced class action lawyers is taking on California's red light camera industry, and photo enforcement companies are expressing unease. Last month, the law firm of Pearson Simon Warshaw and Penny, LLP filed suit in San Mateo County Superior Court arguing that tickets issued throughout the Golden State since January 1, 2004 should be refunded where the photo enforcement contracts violated a state law mandating flat-rate compensation to companies like Redflex Traffic Systems. Redflex referred to the case as a particular business risk in an August 25 filing with the Australian Securities Exchange.
Cameras Falsely Accuse Motorists of Driving Crimes Worldwide
Aug. 28, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light cameras have returned to Virginia, and Newport News kicked off its automated ticketing program by falsely accusing hundreds of innocent motorists of running red lights.
A speed camera in Milwaukie, Oregon demanded that 65-year-old motorist Glenn Nickelson hand over $288 for allegedly speeding in February, The Oregonian reported. Nickelson lives in Vancouver and has not stepped foot in Milwaukie for several years.
In Toulouse, France someone changed the speed limit signs on a highway from 90km/h (55 MPH) to 110km/h (68 MPH), directly in front of a speed camera that ticketed people for exceeding 90km/h.
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.
Red Light Cameras Increase Accidents in Baytown, Texas
Aug. 20, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
After a year of use, red light cameras have failed to deliver the promised safety benefits in Baytown, Texas. The Houston suburb activated the majority of its cameras on July 13, 2008. Since then, the number of accidents at eight camera locations has increased 40 percent, contrary to predictions from city officials. The increase in accidents has not been in minor "fender benders," as is frequently claimed by photo ticketing advocates. Rather, the number of collisions resulting in an injury jumped 75 percent. Rear end collisions increased 39 percent. Results from comprehensive, independent studies elsewhere in the country have yielded similar results.
Milwaukie photo radar produces 13,000 tickets; impact on safety unclear
Aug. 20, 2010 OregonLive.com - ArticleExcerpt:
MILWAUKIE – Despite producing more than 13,000 speeding tickets since the program began two years ago, the city's photo radar program seems to be having marginal effect on traffic safety.
Speed camera data 'misleading'
Aug. 19, 2010 Oxford Mail - ArticleExcerpt:
SPEED camera bosses have been accused of misleading the public over claims more motorists are speeding since the cameras were switched off on August 1.
California: Another Judge Discards Red Light Camera Evidence
Aug. 19, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A San Diego, California Superior Court judge on Monday found elements of typical red light camera court evidence packages to be inadmissible hearsay. Eight consolidated cases were dismissed by Commissioner Karen A. Riley after she considered a motion to exclude evidence generated by automated ticketing vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS). In light of the recent Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts ruling by the US Supreme Court, Riley found the accused had a right to confront ATS witnesses.
Milwaukie photo radar produces 13,000 tickets; impact on safety unclear
Aug. 19, 2010 OregonLive.com - ArticleExcerpt:
MILWAUKIE -- Despite producing more than 13,000 speeding tickets since the program began two years ago, the city's photo radar program seems to be having marginal effect on traffic safety.
Covington City Council says no to traffic cameras
Aug. 19, 2010 NOLA.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Two days after hearing a presentation on the possible use of mobile speed vans or red-light cameras to curb speeding and collisions in Covington, City Council members - many citing public outcry - adamantly spoke out against the proposal and said they would never endorse it.
With a majority of council members against it, the proposal appears to be dead in the water.
Denver photo radar vans breaking traffic laws
Aug. 18, 2010 kwgn.com - ArticleExcerpt:
We turned our cameras on the photo vans and caught them breaking traffic laws and parking illegally on sidewalks, on curbs and on the grass all across the Denver area even though Denver city ordinance clearly states, "parking on unpaved surfaces is prohibited."
And that's not all.
We could barely keep up with a photo radar van speeding down on Quebec Street, going more than 10 miles over the posted 35 mile per hour limit.
Australia: Appeals Court Rules Photo Ticket Inadmissible
Aug. 18, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
California courts are not alone in questioning the validity of red light camera and speed camera photographs as valid legal evidence. On Friday, the Queensland, Australia Court of Appeal ruled that automated ticketing cases require more than a pair of images in a folder to make a speeding case that will stick. The motorist, a non-lawyer, won her case against the government with only the help of her husband.
Some red-light offenders fight, win
Aug. 14, 2010 Napa Valley Register - ArticleExcerpt:
One possible defense of a red-light camera violations appears to be gaining ground in some courts around the state.
At least a dozen defendants statewide caught on camera running a red light have argued that the evidence the cameras collect is hearsay.
Drivers caught by Girard speed camera could receive partial refund
Aug. 11, 2010 WFMJ - ArticleExcerpt:
GIRARD, Ohio - Some of the people who got caught by speed cameras in Girard will get partial refunds of their fines.
The attorney who filed the class action suit says they've reached a settlement. People who were ticketed for speeding after the suit was filed will get a 15 percent refund.
Court ruling strengthens case against red-light cameras, speed van
Aug. 10, 2010 Palm Beach Post - ArticleExcerpt:
JUNO BEACH — Motorists tagged by the town's white speed van or nabbed when cameras caught them running red lights might be a step closer to getting their money back following a Monday court ruling tossing out about 50,000 tickets to motorists caught running red lights in Orlando.
South Carolina: Town Defies State Law Banning Traffic Cameras
Aug. 10, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Ridgeland, South Carolina wants to deploy a speed camera to ticket out-of-state drivers as they pass through the seven-mile stretch of interstate within the tiny town's limits. The plan angered the state legislature to such a degree that it unanimously enacted legislation in June to prohibit photo enforcement -- except during declared state emergencies (view law). The Ridgeland town council refused to back down.
Judge rules against Orlando's red-light cameras
Aug. 9, 2010 Orlando Sentinel - ArticleExcerpt:
An Orange circuit judge issued a ruling Monday that could invalidate nearly 50,000 tickets issued to motorists caught by automatic cameras running red lights in Orlando during the past two years.
The ruling could leave the city on the hook for refunding more than $4 million paid in fines. But because the ruling is almost certain to be appealed, it may be years before there's a final decision.
Maryland: Traffic Camera Company Implements Propaganda Campaign
Aug. 6, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
When a police spokesman is quoted in a newspaper or on a radio program regarding photo enforcement, everything he says is carefully scripted by the private company dependent on the survival of the program for its revenue. This became clear after a Maryland activist yesterday released contract documents that outline the role of Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) in creating the sales pitch delivered to the public by Montgomery County officials. StopBigBrotherMD.org obtained copies of the contract in which ACS receives a cut of every ticket the company issues, promising in return to control all aspects of communications regarding the program.
Speed cameras have caused 28,000 accidents in a decade
Aug. 6, 2010 DailyMail.co.uk - ArticleExcerpt:
Speed cameras have triggered at least 28,000 crashes since 2001, according to new research.
The devices also cause motorists to drive erratically, to not concentrate on the road and to brake suddenly when one comes into sight, a study has revealed.
Brooksville council puts stop to red light cameras
Aug. 7, 2010 Telegraph.co.uk - ArticleExcerpt:
Accident data shows that in the first nine months after the devices were scrapped in Swindon, there were 315 road casualties in the area as a whole, compared with 327 in the same period the previous year.
In total there were two fatalities – compared with four in the same period previously – and 44 serious injuries, down from 48.
Minneapolis Sues Redflex Over Camera Ticket Refund
Aug. 5, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Minneapolis, Minnesota is angry enough at being forced to refund $2.6 million in red light camera tickets that it has filed a lawsuit against the private company it hired to issue those citations. The city last month filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County Court to recover damages, but Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia yesterday asked the US District Court for the District of Minnesota to take over the case.
Brooksville council puts stop to red light cameras
Aug. 3, 2010 TampaBay.com - ArticleExcerpt:
BROOKSVILLE — The city of Brooksville's red light cameras were dealt a hard blow Monday night when City Council members decided to squelch the 2-year-old program that alternately had been viewed as a safety measure and a money grab.
The council reversed its 3-2 vote from two weeks ago, when it had decided to reinstate the cameras. The cameras had been switched off after passage of a state law that would have severely curbed the revenue the city would have gotten from the cameras.
HATED SPEED CAMERAS ARE TURNED OFF
Aug. 2, 2010 Express.co.uk - ArticleExcerpt:
MILLIONS of motorists will breathe a sigh of relief today as the big switch-off begins for many of Britain's 6,000 speed cameras.
The first county to axe the devices that have become known as "money-making machines" was Oxfordshire, which deactivated 72 cameras at midnight.
California: Two More Cities Dump Red Light Cameras
Jul. 30, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light cameras are becoming less popular among municipal leaders in California. On Monday, the Yucaipa city council voted unanimously to cancel its photo enforcement contract with Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia. The previous week, Costa Mesa officially pulled the plug on its automated ticketing machines.
Md. town refunds speed camera tickets
Jul. 29, 2010 Washington Examiner - ArticleExcerpt:
A Maryland town bordering Northeast Washington is giving refunds to hundreds of drivers who were erroneously issued speeding tickets over the course of two weeks, The Washington Examiner has learned.
Brentwood Mayor Xzavier Montgomery-Wright attributed the refund to an "internal error," which she refused to explain.
Montgomery works to get speed-camera lawsuit dismissed
May. 17, 2010 Washington Examiner - ArticleExcerpt:
Montgomery County is trying to dismiss a class-action lawsuit charging that the county operates its speed camera program illegally.
The lawsuit says the county is breaking state law by paying its camera contractor, Affiliated Computer Services, on a per ticket basis. The county gives 40 percent of its ticket revenues -- or $16.25 per ticket -- to ACS. Maryland law prohibits per ticket payments to camera operators to avoid a financial incentive for issuing more tickets.
Traffic Camera Company Embeds Former Spokesman At Arizona Republic
May. 17, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
With ballot initiatives and other possible legislative action threatening to put a major photo enforcement company out of business, an effective public relations strategy has become the firm's top priority. Redflex Traffic Systems on Friday had its former corporate spokesman, Michael Ferraresi, return to writing about the industry for the Arizona Republic newspaper, which covers the battleground market of Phoenix.
New Mexico: City Expands Traffic Cameras Despite Accident Increase
May. 12, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Las Cruces, New Mexico city council voted Monday to partially obey a New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) to remove red light cameras and speed cameras from the state right-of-way by May 18. State officials are concerned with the negative impact that the devices have on safety, but Las Cruces officials emphasized the need to "work around" the state in expanding the red light camera program even though the city has seen an increase in accidents where photo enforcement has been installed.
Stoplight cameras put on indefinite hold in Jefferson Parish
May. 12, 2010 NOLA.com - ArticleExcerpt:
With questions and tensions still swirling around its stoplight camera program, the Jefferson Parish Council today approved an indefinite suspension of the initiative.
It first shut off the cameras in January and has renewed the suspension periodically since then. Today's move was the first open-ended suspension of the program.
The fresh hold on automated traffic enforcement comes as parish officials wait for results of an audit of Jefferson's contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc., the company that installed and ran the cameras for about two years. Concerns that lobbyists who helped Reflex get the parish business were also sharing in the revenues from the resulting traffic tickets prompted the initial suspension and the call for an audit.
DPS Director: Speed Camera Stats Are 'Debatable'
May. 10, 2010 KPHO.com - ArticleExcerpt:
PHOENIX -- One of Arizona's top cops said Monday that he doesn't believe the statistics about speed cameras, that have come out of his own department.
According to DPS Director Robert Halliday, the stats showing a reduction in accidents and fatalities is debatable.
Lawyer finds glitch in Portland's red light cameras
May. 6, 2010 KGW - ArticleExcerpt:
PORTLAND -- Portland lawyer Mark Ginsberg beat the city this week on a red light camera ticket he got last February.
He asked the city for an explanation of the technology involved, and the meaning of some numbers on the photo. What he learned was startling.
"The city of Portland, in their own documents they sent to me, said they don't know how accurate their own photo red light cameras are right now."
Arizona Cancels Photo Enforcement Contract
May. 6, 2010 Redflex - ArticleExcerpt:
In the recent Redflex announcement of 29 April 2010, the directors advised that the base term of the original State-wide speed contract in Arizona was due to expire in early FY2011, and that there was a distinct possibility that the program would not continue.
Redflex has now received formal notification from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) that the contract will not be renewed.
Jonesborough man files suit over red-light camera ticket dispute
May. 6, 2010 TriCities.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A Jonesborough man who says he is being double billed for a red-light camera speeding ticket his wife received is suing the town of Jonesborough and the company who maintains the cameras.
Church is now filing a lawsuit against Jonesborough and Redflex for $24,000 in compensation.
Sykesville Rejects Speed Cameras in Referendum
May. 5, 2010 WJLA - ArticleExcerpt:
SYKESVILLE, Md. (AP) - One Carroll County town has rejected speed cameras.
Residents of Sykesville voted Tuesday against an ordinance that would have made the town the county's first municipality with speed cameras.
Md. Driver Finds Way Around $40 Speed Camera Fine
May. 2, 2010 WJZ - ArticleExcerpt:
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) ― A Bethesda woman has taken Maryland officials to task and worked five months to overturn a $40 ticket from an automated speed camera.
Maryland law requires police to test the speed cameras every day to ensure proper functioning. Lucero found that the camera that ticketed her wasn't tested that day. Another camera nearby had a 10-day gap between inspections.
State highway officials also discovered the stretch of road where Lucero was ticketed in Gaithersburg hadn't been assessed in five years for the proper speed limit. They decided the speed lagged by 10 mph.
Maryland Speed Camera Program Faces New Legal Challenge
Apr. 30, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Vehicle owners ticketed by Maryland speed cameras may find relief after one motorist earlier this month discovered how to beat the system. Peggy Lucero began her legal battle after Affiliated Computer Services accused her of speeding in Gaithersburg on Saturday, November 21, 2009. She did not believe the citation was accurate.
Missouri Senate Votes To Ban Photo Enforcement
Apr. 29, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Missouri state Senate on Monday voted overwhelmingly to ban the use of red light cameras and speed cameras. The measure's champion, state Senator Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis), had failed in previous efforts to convince his colleagues to end the use of automated ticketing machines. This year, however, he was emboldened by the state supreme court's decision last month to strike down Springfield's photo ticketing as illegal (view opinion). Lembke successfully attached the red light camera prohibition to a broader, 106-page transportation measure that included a number of miscellaneous provisions. The vote was 23 to 8 in favor of the ban.
Lawsuit targets Knoxville red-light camera system
Apr. 27, 2010 KnoxNews.com - ArticleExcerpt:
KNOXVILLE -- Four Knoxvillians are suing the city of Knoxville and Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., a former operator of the city's red-light camera system, contending that the program from 2005 to 2008 was contrary to the Tennessee Constitution.
Woman Gets Red Light Camera Ticket, But Car Is Not Hers
Apr. 26, 2010 KFOXTV.com - ArticleExcerpt:
EL PASO, Texas -- When Gracie Goetz opened her mail on Saturday, she said she got an ugly surprise.
"I got this official-looking scary thing that looked like I was in trouble," Goetz told KFOX on the phone.
She lives in Austin, but somehow got a red light camera ticket in El Paso, even though she said she never drove her car in the Borderland.
California: City Fined $250,000 Over Botched Red Light Camera Program
Apr. 26, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Red light camera program troubles continue to grow in South San Francisco, California. On Wednesday, the city council decided to pay the $250,000 bill submitted by the San Mateo County Superior Court to cover the administrative costs of processing $3 million worth of red light camera citation refunds. Because the city failed to properly ratify its contract with American Traffic Solutions, the company in charge of automated ticketing, the 6800 tickets issued between August 14 2009 and February 28, 2010 were declared invalid by the court.
Town that scrapped 'motorist tax' speed cameras sees no increase in accidents
Apr. 23, 2010 Daily Mail - ArticleExcerpt:
The first town in Britain to scrap fixed speed cameras has not seen any increase in accidents, it was revealed today.
But at the same time the number of motorists prosecuted for speeding there has dropped by almost 60 per cent.
Swindon switched off its cameras amid claims they were a 'blatant tax on the motorist' which did nothing to improve safety, and today the figures were hailed by supporters as proof they were right.
Loma Linda won't renew red-light camera contract
Apr. 22, 2010 BBC - ArticleExcerpt:
The number of accidents on roads next to Swindon's shrouded speed cameras is the same now as when they were active, according to council figures.
Loma Linda won't renew red-light camera contract
Apr. 14, 2010 The Sun (San Bernadino) - ArticleExcerpt:
LOMA LINDA - The city will not extend its contract with the company that installed red-light cameras when the agreement expires in December.
City yanks red-light camera
Apr. 13, 2010 San Mateo Daily Journal - ArticleApr. 14, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - Alternate Article
Excerpt:
The city of San Carlos will lose its sole red-light camera in 18 months after the City Council Monday night unanimously agreed that it wasn’t needed at the current site and there is nowhere else they want to put it.
The camera sits at westbound Brittan Avenue and Industrial Road, an intersection that Mayor Randy Royce said had 11 accidents prior to the camera installation and 11 in the 17 months since.
"I was disappointed in what Redflex had sold," he said.Florida, Germany, UK: Traffic Cameras Face Accuracy, Legal Issues
Apr. 10, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A Florida motorist defeated a red light camera ticket issued by a private company in Collier County after showing the yellow light duration at the intersection was too short. Mike Mogil measured the yellow time at Collier Boulevard at 3.8 seconds, but it should have been 4.5 seconds based on state guidelines, WVZN-TV reported.
Police in Germany may no longer issue speed camera tickets from a motorcycle after a statement by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt questioning the accuracy of the systems.
Hillsboro turns off photo red light cameras
Apr. 9, 2010 OregonLive.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Drivers negotiating one of Hillsboro's most dangerous intersections won't have to worry about automated cameras after all.
The Hillsboro City Council Tuesday reversed its June 2009 decision to install a monitoring system offered by Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., of Phoenix, Ariz., at Northwest Evergreen Parkway and 185th Avenue.
City to remove red-light camera
Apr. 9, 2010 San Mateo Daily Journal - ArticleExcerpt:
The city of San Carlos will likely remove its single red-light camera because it is losing more than $2,000 each month at the current location and has no other intersections that warrant that type of enforcement, according to officials.
Protesters Want Stop Put on Red Light Cameras
Apr. 9, 2010 FOX 8 - ArticleExcerpt:
CLEVELAND - In dozens of places around Cleveland, drivers who speed or run a red light, can expect a ticket in the mail. But if one Ohio organization gets its way, voters might get the chance to decide whether the cameras stay or go.
'Easter Bunny' targets photo radar camera in Tempe
Apr. 4, 2010 ABC 15 - ArticleExcerpt:
TEMPE, AZ -- The Easter bunny put in a lot of hard work here in the Valley over the past 24 hours.
In addition to his usual duties, he targeted photo radar cameras in Tempe.
The person behind the bunny costume managed to shut one of the cameras down for hours.
Master Key Unlocks Every Speed Camera in Belgium
Apr. 3, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A single master key can unlock every roadside cabinet that controls a speed camera in Belgium, Verstrepen and Hermans reported on GunkTV last Sunday. The show's host, Jurgen Verstrepen, represents Antwerp in the Flemish Parliament for List Dedecker, a political party that espouses free market economic policy. Verstrepen picked up a key at a locksmith for 14 euros (US $19) and proceeded to unlock both Gatso and Traffipax brand speed camera control boxes. Both types of camera are in use in the United States.
Master Key Unlocks Every Speed Camera in Belgium
Apr. 2, 2010 TheAdvertiser.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Opponents of Lafayette's SafeSpeed and SafeLight programs have amended their civil lawsuit against city-parish government and the programs' vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems.
In the amended petition, attorneys Joseph McMahon and Anthony Maska allege that the method of authenticating photos taken by the red-light and speed van cameras is not in compliance with state evidence law.
Ohio, Texas, Washington, Australia, Germany: Photo Ticket Accuracy Troubles
Mar. 27, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia earlier this month heard claims that disgruntled former employees of the speed camera operator VIPAC had the capability of remotely adjusting threshold settings and issue automated citations to innocent motorists...
In Houston, Texas motorists are receiving "red light running" tickets for turning right on a green light, KTRK-TV reported...
In Seattle, Washington judges are angry with the city for continuing to issue citations with the red light camera location at 45th Street and Union Bay Place, even though judges have already ruled that the camera was set up in violation of state law...
In East Cleveland, Ohio a mobile speed camera is issuing $95 tickets in front of Shaw High School where the limit is 20 MPH when the school zone lights are flashing. The lights, however, are broken and motorists are receiving tickets despite the lack of notice of a speed limit change, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.
The German agency charged with verifying accuracy of police equipment (Landesamt fur Mess- und Eichwesen) earlier this month discovered that a set of twelve speed cameras in Erfurt had "software errors" that resulted in bogus readings...
Jefferson stoplight camera contractor demands money, reactivation of cameras
Mar. 26, 2010 NOLA - ArticleExcerpt:
In a letter to interim Parish President Steve Theriot, an attorney for Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. demands the parish pay money generated by the system that's been withheld for three years and reactivate the cameras. Otherwise, the letter says, Redflex plans to sue the government.
On Jan. 27, however, the council voted 7-0 to suspend camera enforcement, amid a wide-ranging federal criminal investigation of former Parish President Aaron Broussard's administration.
Roberts, who sponsored the measure, said he was disturbed to learn that Redflex planned to give about 3.2 percent of its Jefferson Parish revenue to lobbyists who had helped the company win the contract. Among the lobbyists: Bryan Wagner, a former New Orleans City Council member, and Julie Murphy, who is married to Judge Robert Murphy of the 24th Judicial District Court.
Some Red Light Cameras May Be Illegal
Mar. 24, 2010 My Fox Atalanta - ArticleExcerpt:
ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - The city of Atlanta has been operating some of its red light cameras without authorization from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Some motorists who paid a $70 fine might get their money back.
Ticket exposes problem with traffic signal
Mar. 19, 2010 KTRK - ArticleState bans red-light cameras on some roads
Mar. 19, 2010 Las Curces Sun-News - ArticleMar. 19, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - Article
Excerpt:
LAS CRUCES - A wide smile spread across Mario Hale's face as he learned Thursday afternoon that red-light enforcement cameras at two Las Cruces intersections had been banned by the New Mexico Transportation Commission.
Traffic camera mayhem prompts court saga
Mar. 17, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
SPEED thresholds could be secretly adjusted and the traffic camera system sabotaged by remote control, a court has heard.
The claims have surfaced in a Supreme Court hearing in which camera operator VIPAC is fighting for the right to seize the personal computers of two former employees.
Six red-light cameras may come down
Mar. 15, 2010 Victorville Daily Press - ArticleExcerpt:
VICTORVILLE - City Council will vote Tuesday night on a proposal to pull six of its 16 red light cameras out after June 30. The switch will cost an estimated $173,287 — and it’ll mean the other 10 cameras will likely be around for at least three additional years.
Feds widen investigation in Jefferson Parish
Mar. 12, 2010 Fox 8 Live - ArticleExcerpt:
Federal investigators are digging deeper into the scandal in Jefferson Parish. The feds sent two subpoenas requiring the parish to turn over extensive information on the red light cameras as well as payroll discrepancies first reported by FOX 8.
Are Chandler red-light cameras worth cost?
Mar. 9, 2010 East Valley Tribune - ArticleExcerpt:
About one in four tickets issued by photo enforcement cameras at major Chandler intersections fail to produce a conviction, mainly because businesses decline to identify employees driving company vehicles, according to Chandler police.
1,740 red-light-camera tickets to go away
Mar. 8, 2010 Ultimate Clear Lake - ArticleExcerpt:
League City will dismiss 1,740 red-light-camera tickets and issue refunds because a traffic light at the Gulf Freeway and FM 518 hasn't been staying yellow long enough.
Police Chief Mike Jez said the yellow light was set to last just 4 seconds, instead of the state-required 4.7 seconds.
Spain, UK: Speed Cameras Self-Combust, Are Impersonated
Mar. 7, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A speed camera van in North Wales caught fire last Monday at around 12:30pm...
In Ferrol, Spain a 24-year-old student mocked the overuse of speed cameras in the city last week by creating a "fixed mobile radar" costume...
Red-light cameras face legal challenge in New Orleans
Mar. 5, 2010 NOLA.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A decision by a New Orleans judge invalidating a red-light-camera ticket received by a local lawyer is threatening to deal another body blow to the city's already shaky finances -- though it might bring a smile to the faces of motorists sick of the devices.
The law says those affidavits may be provided by "a sworn law enforcement officer or the Department of Public Works," which administers the system of red-light cameras at 12 intersections and speed-enforcement cameras at another 13 locations, mostly school zones.
McMahon argued, and Reese agreed, that neither his ticket nor the supporting photographs were valid because no actual, named person stipulated that he or she witnessed McMahon commit a violation or properly authenticated the photos.
Missouri Supreme Court Strikes Down Red Light Cameras
Mar. 3, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The supreme court of Missouri sent photo enforcement companies scrambling on Monday after it declared the red light camera administrative hearing process in the city of Springfield to be void. The high court moved with unusual speed, handing down a strongly worded, unanimous decision about one month after hearing oral arguments in the case.
Investigation after police speed camera van catches fire
Mar. 3, 2010 DailyPost.Co.UK - ArticleExcerpt:
AN investigation has been launched after a police speed camera van caught fire on a narrow lane in Gwynedd.
Fire crews were alerted to the blaze in Llanllechid near Bethesda just after 12:30pm on Monday.
Arizona, Tennessee, UK: Speed Cameras Catch Fire, Crash
Feb. 28, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A speed camera van in Mount Carmel, Tennessee burst into flames at around 3am on February 21, burning down a barn near which it had been parked. Officials did not immediately blame vigilantes for the incident, instead suggesting the van, owned by Australia's Redflex Traffic Systems, may have caught fire on its own.
In Phoenix, Arizona, the group CameraFraud.com spotted the mangled wreckage of a freeway speed camera van being de-striped in the Redflex parking lot on Friday.
California, Missouri, Texas, Australia: Accuracy and Legal Problems for Speed Cameras
Feb. 27, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A faulty camera sensor on Pittwater Road in North Narrabeen produced false readings and resulted in at least 900 innocent motorists receiving A$159 tickets in the mail.
Another refund may be on the way to South San Francisco, California residents. After having been forced to refund $1.4 million worth of tickets for failing to abide by state contracting laws in its deal with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to operate red light cameras, the city fell into a second legal trap.
An innocent woman in Queen Creek, Missouri was falsely accused of running a red light on January 17 in St. Peters, Missouri. Connie Buckallew received the $85 citation in the mail and noticed the car in the photo did not belong to her and that she could not possibly have committed the violation.
Speed fines refund after faulty camera find
Feb. 26, 2010 Manly Daily - ArticleExcerpt:
AT least 900 speeding fines will be cancelled after it was discovered a northern beaches speed camera, located on one of the state's most lucrative stretches of road, was delivering false readings.
Red Light Camera Giant Redflex Loses $8 Million From Opposition
Feb. 25, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The number one speed camera and red light camera operator in the US today reported that its profits plunged by 32 percent in the first half of fiscal 2010, due in large measure to rising public discontent with automated enforcement. Redflex Traffic Systems told Australian shareholders that after adjusting for exchange rates, the company lost A$8 million, primarily as a result of citizen activists taking action against photo enforcement.
Busted: wrong woman ticketed
Feb. 24, 2010 KTVO - ArticleExcerpt:
Connie Buckallew of Queen City received an $85 traffic ticket in the mail Saturday morning.
It was from the City of St. Peters, Missouri stating that she had run a red light on January 17, 2010, and the offense was captured on a red light photo enforcement camera.
The Pontiac Grand Prix in the pictures is not Buckallew's, and it's clearly not Buckallew pictured in the driver's seat.
Cities Shortening Yellow Traffic Lights for Deadly Profit
Feb. 23, 2010 AlterNET - ArticleExcerpt:
"While several cities have been caught shortening yellow lights to increase revenue from red-light tickets," said Biller, "I think the larger issue today is that the duration of so many yellow lights has never been adequately set for optimal safety results. An increase of approximately one second can reduce the frequency of red-light-running by at least 50 percent."
Budget cuts force photo radar changes
Feb. 23, 2010 KTAR - ArticleExcerpt:
While criminal speeding used to carry fines of $235 and higher, all speeding tickets will now be treated as civil violations carrying a fine of $181.50.
Florida Court Rules Red Light Cameras Illegal
Feb. 23, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
A Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judge has ruled that red light cameras may not be legally used to issue traffic citations in the state of Florida. Judge Gerald Bagley yesterday dismissed charges against motorist Richard Masone who had received a red light camera ticket in the mail from American Traffic Solutions (ATS). The company operates the program on behalf of the city of Aventura.
Police toss some red light camera tickets
Feb. 21, 2010 Galveston Daily News - ArticleExcerpt:
League City police rejected 5,254 possible citations from Oct. 1 through Jan. 9. The police department did not give 3,322 vehicles a citation because they were photographed by the cameras making safe right turns at red lights. Police discretion also was cited as the reason why 220 vehicles photographed running a red light were not issued citations...
But Jessica Hernandez, 28, of Pearland, has some issues with the program. The League City Police Department sent her a citation for running a red light going east at the intersection of I-45 and FM 518 on Jan. 1 at 8:38 a.m.
"I was sleeping at the time," Hernandez said.
"And nobody was driving my car; my husband was at work," she said. "My car was with me that morning."
Lobbying intensifies in red light camera fight
Feb. 21, 2010 Daily Herald - ArticleExcerpt:
As the backlash against red-light cameras continues to mount, companies that profit from those $100 tickets have hired new ranks of lobbyists to convince state lawmakers to back off reform and repeal efforts.
Australia, France: Speed Cameras Attacked In Courts, On Roadside
Feb. 21, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
An Australian motorist turned the tables on officials last week with a court order in hand for the seizure of Victoria Police property over a bogus speed camera ticket he received in the mail...
In France, vigilantes were less successful this week. An attempt to destroy a speed camera...
Request to turn off red light cameras stalls
Feb. 20, 2010 Victorville Daily Press - ArticleExcerpt:
VICTORVILLE - Its going on three months since city officials suggested shutting at least half of Victorvilles 16 red light cameras down, and still residents keep coming home to find $446 tickets in their mailboxes.
With a largely disgruntled public, lagging revenue and data at several sites showing little impact on safety and traffic, Victorville has been trying since early December to find a way to turn some of its cameras off without violating its contract with Redflex, the Arizona-based company that installed and operates them.
Feds looking into Jefferson Parish traffic cameras
Feb. 20, 2010 Fox8Live.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A source tells Fox 8 News that federal investigators are looking into the red light camera program in Jefferson Parish and Interim Parish President Steve Theriot confirms the feds do have the documents.
Canada, UK: Automated Cameras Involved in Mistakes and Accidents
Feb. 20, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Errors on the part of drivers, the police and the cameras themselves are causing problems. The camera software, for example, frequently is unable to distinguish similar characters such as the letter O and the number 0. Other errors can happen when drivers apply for insurance and accidentally transpose letters on their applications, causing incorrect data to be entered into the insurance database. In such cases, the automated machines will attempt to verify insurance coverage and wrongly flag the vehicle as uninsured. Police will pull over and attempt to issue a ticket to these individuals who would be put in the position of proving their innocence.
"Simple errors can result in a lot of wasted time and inconvenience for you, the police and your insurer -- quite apart from the risk of temporarily having your car confiscated," Douglas said.
California: Longer Yellows Nearly Eliminate Violations
Feb. 19, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The council, on the other hand, was extremely pleased with the results of lengthening yellow lights by one second in November. The number of left-turn violations dropped 80 to 85 percent from about 240 monthly violations to about 25 or 30 a month immediately after the change. Straight through violations were reduced 92 percent.
"Lengthening yellow lights has produced a tremendous drop in violations," Rigsby said. "The statistics from January are very telling. For four intersections, there were five straight through violations in total. That is tremendous improvement in safety. We're talking about huge success of lengthening the yellow lights... We could have had that safety with lengthening the yellow four years ago instead of installing red light cameras."
Arizona Photo Enforcement Eases Slightly; "Criminal" Speed Violations on Freeways Now Deemed "Civil"
Feb. 19, 2010 Phoenix New Times - ArticleExcerpt:
The fastest drivers caught by freeway speed cameras in Arizona will be punished less, thanks to a policy change that halts the mailing of criminal speeding tickets.
Arizona speed cameras incite a mini revolt
Feb. 19, 2010 LA Times - ArticleExcerpt:
But since the Grand Canyon State began enforcing speed limits with roadside cameras, motorists are raging against the machines: They have blocked out the lenses with Post-it notes or Silly String. During the Christmas holidays, they covered the cameras with boxes, complete with wrapping paper.
Speed camera crusader John King granted Sherriffs warrant to seize police property, wants Simon Overland's desk
Feb. 18, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
AN ANTI-speed camera crusader has obtained a sheriffs warrant against Victoria Police because the force has failed to pay the court-ordered costs to him.
And he says he might just have to sell Chief Commissioner Simon Overland's desk to meet his costs.
John King was granted a warrant by the Heidelberg Magistrates' Court to seize police property after waiting nearly eight months for the force to comply with the $522 costs order.
Harlingen Getting Rid of Red Light Cameras
Feb. 18, 2010 KRGV - ArticleExcerpt:
HARLINGEN - After a heated debate, city commissioners voted 3-2 Wednesday to get rid of controversial red light cameras. The cameras have monitored traffic violations at five of the city's busiest intersections since 2007. Motorists caught running red lights had to pay $75 tickets.
Arizona: City Dumps Money Losing Traffic Cameras
Feb. 17, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Avondale, Arizona last week decided to terminate its contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) for the operation of red light cameras and speed cameras. The city council made its decision primarily on financial grounds after the program failed to deliver on its promise of enhanced safety and substantial profit. With Avondale facing a $3.8 million budget deficit, officials decided the cameras had to go.
SPEED CAMERAS 'CAN'T CATCH MOTORBIKES'
Feb. 14, 2010 Express.co.uk - ArticleExcerpt:
MOTORISTS have accused the Government of running a revenue- raising "scam" after a report revealed that "average speed" - cameras can't catch motorbikes.
South San Francisco to refund some red light fines
Feb. 14, 2010 MercuryNews.com - ArticleExcerpt:
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - South San Francisco police say drivers who received tickets for running red lights in the city from the middle of August through late January are due a refund because of a legal oversight.
New Mexico: Red Light Cameras Fail to Reduce Accidents
Feb. 12, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Photo enforcement may not be improving traffic safety in Las Cruces, New Mexico. According to preliminary data presented to the city council on Monday, the installation of red light cameras and speed cameras in March 2009 has thus far failed to produce any statistically significant reduction in accidents. The city's public works department, in close consultation with Redflex Traffic Systems, did try to argue that the numbers showed the program was worth keeping.
Avondale trims more personnel, drops traffic-enforcement tools
Feb. 10, 2010 AZCentral.com - ArticleExcerpt:
To save money, the city also is terminating its contract with Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions, which operates traffic-enforcement cameras.
"Looking at the stats, there's no significant correlation between the number of accidents and the impact photo enforcement has been having on those wrecks," he said. "It's down all over the city. It's down all over the state."
Oregon, Germany, Italy, Poland, UK: Speed Cams Shot, Spraypainted, Stolen, Singed
Feb. 7, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Vigilantes damaged a speed camera in Essex, England last Sunday at 9:40pm. The Thurrock Gazette reported that garbage piled on top of the camera was set alight, inflicting (US $11,000) in damage...
In Medford, Oregon, vigilantes shot a red light camera at the intersection of Barnett Road and Stewart Avenue...
Armed vigilantes used a shotgun to take out a speed camera in Sardinia, Italy...
Around midnight last Thursday, vigilantes made off with the speed camera on the ring road at via Marchioni in Rovigo, Italy...
Vigilantes in Lohfelden, Germany used spraypaint and expanding foam to disable a speed camera last Thursday...
Likewise, vigilantes in Czuchow, Poland covered a speed camera in white paint last week. Just one month ago, the same camera had been covered in blue paint..
Red-light running cameras flashing like strobe lights at some intersections
Feb. 6, 2010 MarcoNews.com - ArticleExcerpt:
County's red-light running cameras along Immokalee Road malfunctioned this week, flashing like strobe lights and confusing motorists.
Campaigns planned to ban traffic cameras in Cleveland, Garfield Heights
Feb. 6, 2010 Cleveland.com - ArticleExcerpt:
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Should ticket-generating cameras be used for traffic enforcement? That question may be put before Cleveland and Garfield Heights voters this fall.
Both communities could see ballot issues Nov. 2 to ban the use of red light and speed cameras. A mix of organizations and residents pledged Saturday to launch petition drives to rid the streets of the photo-taking equipment. They've enlisted the aid of a Cincinnati group -- the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, or COAST -- already involved in three successful anti-camera campaigns in Ohio.
New DPS chief criticizes speed cameras
Feb. 4, 2010 AZCentral.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The Department of Public Safety's newly appointed director this week joined a growing chorus of powerful voices speaking out against the state's photo-enforcement system.
In interviews this week, Robert Halliday said that the system should be restructured if it's not scrapped.
Lawsuit targets speed cameras
Feb. 3, 2010 The Gazette - ArticleExcerpt:
Almost everyone who has received a ticket from a speed camera in Montgomery County is now part of a class-action lawsuit intended to change the way the county operates its speed camera program.
Attorneys say ticketed drivers will receive notice of the suit and will be able to opt out if they choose.
Loma Linda council members want to put brakes on red-light cameras
Feb. 3, 2010 Press-Enterprise - ArticleExcerpt:
Two Loma Linda City Council members have opened a new front in the battle against red-light cameras.
After Redflex Traffic Systems refused early termination of its contract to operate the cameras, Councilmen Ovidiu Popescu and Rhodes "Dusty" Rigsby want to tell San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies not to write tickets to motorists caught on the cameras making illegal right-hand turns.
Germany, UK: Speed Cameras Smashed and Burned
Jan. 31, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Vigilantes burned a speed camera housing in Dorset, England last Tuesday at around 3am. A gasoline-filled tire was used to set the camera housing near the Bear Cross on fire, the Bournemouth Daily Echo reported. Officials claimed the camera housing was empty. Police have no idea who might be responsible.
Three of the five new column-mounted speed camera locations in Boeblingen, Germany were attacked last week...
Vigilantes in Osnabruck were able to destroy an older style of traffic camera last week...
South Dakota, Tennessee Consider Traffic Camera Bans
Jan. 30, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
A number of states are considering legislation that would outlaw the use of photo enforcement. Last year alone, Maine, Mississippi and Montana added themselves to the list of fifteen states where red light cameras and speed cameras are no longer welcome. On Thursday, the South Dakota House Transportation Committee will consider legislation introduced by state Representative Peggy Gibson (D-Huron) to make her state the sixteenth.
California Cities Dumping Red Light Cameras
Jan. 29, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Moreno Valley, California dumps red light cameras while Loma Linda seeks to get out of its existing contract as soon as possible.
The allure of red light cameras has worn off in a pair of Southern California cities. In Moreno Valley on Tuesday, the city council voted 3-1 to shut down the automated ticketing machines that have been operating since 2008.
"If you look at the best studies nationwide, cameras either increase accident rates or don't change them, or have only sporadic decreases," Rigsby said. "When the data were presented from Loma Linda... they were not very compelling. Never once was there a mention of right-turn violations as being involved in a statistically significant number of the accidents. And if you think about it, most accidents aren't going to be from creeping around a right turn."
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.
Analysis: Cameras aren't changing habits of Sioux City drivers
Jan. 25, 2010 Sioux City Journal - ArticleExcerpt:
SIOUX CITY -- Thousands of red-light citations of have been issued since cameras where installed at Sioux City intersections six months ago, but a Sioux City Journal analysis of data provided by the Sioux City Police Department shows little change in driver habits over that period.
Speed cameras no deterrent to young
Jan. 25, 2010 Herald Sun - ArticleExcerpt:
MOST Victorians under the age of 30 say fixed and mobile speed cameras haven't made them drive any slower.
Fifty-one per cent of them said the cameras hadn't affected their driving speed, compared with 49 per cent of those in their 30s who said cameras hadn't slowed them down and 44 per cent of those aged 40 and over whose driving hasn't been affected by cameras.
Vigilantes Take on Speed Traps in Wyoming, Germany, Switzerland
Jan. 24, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Vigilantes in Bad Harzburg, Germany set fire to a speed camera on Monday. The device, located on Bundesstrasse 4, was completely destroyed. Police have no idea who might be responsible for having destroyed this and a dozen other speed cameras in the area over the past few years, Hamburger Abendblatt reported.
In Landshut, Germany on Tuesday a man rammed a mobile speed camera radar unit while it was unattended on state road 2083. Police were able to track down a 55-year-old man and have accused him of destroying the equipment, Straubinger Tagblatt reported.
A video uploaded to YouTube last week appears to show a speed camera being dragged through the streets of Zurich, Switzerland after having been tied to a light rail system. The video provider explained that, "This speed camera gets a one way ticket to the end of the line."
Arizona, Hungary, Maryland, UK: Speed Cameras Plagued by Accuracy Problems
Jan. 23, 2010 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Speed cameras worldwide were plagued by accuracy problems this week. In Scottsdale, Arizona, a black man received a white man's tickets on five occasions.
In Chevy Chase, Maryland, WTOP News reported that hundreds of duplicate speed camera citations are being generated as motorists drive past a fixed camera and a mobile unit parked right next to it...
A similar problem is apparent in the town of Pecs, Hungary where a man received two speed camera citations for the same alleged offense...
In Nottingham, England, motorist Jeff Buck, 55, received two speed camera tickets while his car was parked outside his home on Watnall Road on December 13.
Speed cameras taking too many pictures
Jan. 22, 2010 WTOP.com - ArticleExcerpt:
CHEVY CHASE, Md. -- Nearly 200 duplicate speed camera photographs have been snapped in the Village of Chevy Chase since the beginning of the month, and there could be more.
Village Police Chief Roy Gordon tells WTOP that out of the 2,794 possible speed camera violations that have been taken since Jan. 1, 174 of them were duplicate pictures. Meanwhile, 1,090 potential violations are still being processed and could contain additional duplicates.
Audit: 'Only $37 million' raised from photo enforcement
Jan. 21, 2010 AZCentral.com - ArticleExcerpt:
The state Office of the Auditor General released a 20-page report examining the program, lawmakers discussed legislation that could alter the use of speed cameras on state highways, and a petition made its way to the Arizona Supreme Court that would allow mail delivery to do the work of process servers when it comes to delivering speeding citations to motorists.
All the discussion could be for naught, however, if the governor makes good on her stated intention to pull the plug on Arizona's photo-enforcement program when the contract expires later this year, then allow Arizonans to vote in the fall on whether photo enforcement should remain.
Mansfield axes red light cameras
Jan. 20, 2010 MansfieldNewsJournal.com - ArticleExcerpt:
MANSFIELD -- The proposed red light camera ordinance -- brought to City Council by police Chief Phil Messer -- was unanimously rejected Tuesday.
One camera system vendor, Redflex, sent a representative to Mansfield to argue the systems are constitutional and reduce traffic accidents.
State study disputes photo radar benefits
Jan. 20, 2010 EastValleyTribune.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Arizona's new statewide photo radar system isn't generating anywhere near the cash that was touted as violators can't be identified and citations remain unpaid.
And the Auditor General's Office, which conducted the study, also concluded there's no evidence it's actually achieved its other goal of making Arizona highways safer.
Council Rejects Red Light Traffic Cameras
Jan. 20, 2010 WMFD.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Mansfield City Council Tuesday night rejected an ordinance brought to them by police chief Phil Messer to install red light traffic cameras to help enforce traffic laws.
Brunswick dismantles traffic cameras
Jan. 18, 2010 iStockAnalyst.com - ArticleExcerpt:
Motorists traveling through certain intersections in the city may have noticed something different -- something missing.
For those who haven't, here's a hint: You no longer have to worry about what you're wearing or how you look if feeling rushed and having no time for yellow caution lights.
The cameras in the city are coming down. One already has.
Mayor of Georgia city doubts red-light camera's benefits
Jan. 17, 2010 USA Today - ArticleExcerpt:
"That sort of exposed the myth of why they're there," says Mayor David Pennington, an opponent of red-light cameras. "It goes against what I was told to begin with, which is that they are for safety."
Pennington's criticism of red-light cameras — and their sure stream of revenue — is all the more remarkable considering how hard his city was slammed by the recession: As the housing market collapse squeezed the carpet manufacturing industry, unemployment in Dalton soared from 3.5% in 2007 to 12.5% in 2009, one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S., he says.
Speed camera role doubted
Jan. 12, 2010 News.com.au - ArticleExcerpt:
POLICE speed camera initiatives to combat the road toll have been condemned by the National Motorists Association Australia.
State liaison officer for the association, Michael Bates, said official statistics showed that speed cameras did not reduce fatal crashes caused by speed.
He said the "latest" government report showed 52 fatal crashes were caused by speeding in 2004 compared with 51 in 1997, the year speed cameras were introduced.
Kirkby Lonsdale speed camera is sabotaged
Jan. 12, 2010 The West Morland Gazette - ArticleExcerpt:
A SPEED camera in Kirkby Lonsdale has been sabotaged, causing 30,000 (pounds) worth of damage.
Police are appealing for information after the permanent roadside safety camera facing Eastbound on the A65 at Devil's Bridge had its camera post cut, possibly by a portable grinder, overnight on January 9.
UK, Canada: Speed Camera Toppled, Van Driver Harassed
Jan. 10, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
UK speed camera fails to save itself from drunk driving accident. Canadian photo radar driver alleges harassment.
Red Light Camera Ticketing Company's No-Pay Threat Illegal
Jan. 9, 2010 The Ledger - ArticleExcerpt:
The red-light camera company contracted by Lakeland has been telling ticketed drivers a hold can be placed on their vehicle registration if they fail to pay their fine.
But a city spokesman said that isn't part of the city's agreement with Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions.
But city spokesman Kevin Cook said the company's customer service employees misspoke, and Florida law doesn't allow that to happen.
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.
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."
Viewer fights photo radar mistake
Jan. 7, 2010 AZCentral.com - ArticleExcerpt:
A month after Terry Fox traded-in a car back in 1999, he got a photo radar ticket in the mail. He contacted Scottsdale City Court and was told to send in a copy of his driver's license as proof it wasn't him in the photo. He never heard a word about the ticket again. Then, just a few weeks ago, he received a letter.
Terry says a court audit determined he had never paid the ticket and he owed $228. He went down to the court to explain again, 11-years later, that he wasn't the guy!
Accidents up despite Spokane red light cameras
Jan. 6, 2010 Seattle Times - ArticleExcerpt:
Intersections where Spokane installed red light cameras in 2008 in the name of safety saw an increase in crashes and injuries in the first year of the controversial program.
There were 38 collisions at the three intersections the year after the city began fining violators caught on tape. That's up from 32 the previous year, according to police collision reports provided to The Spokesman-Review.
Injury accidents at the intersections also rose from 11 the year before to 14 after.
Motorist takes anger out on photo radar operator
Jan. 5, 2010 Winnipeg Free Press - ArticleExcerpt:
WINNIPEG - A frustrated motorist caught by a photo-radar camera faces charges of uttering threats to kill.
Motorist rips speed camera out the ground
Jan. 4, 2010 UXBridge Gazette - ArticleExcerpt:
A SPEED camera in Hillingdon was ripped out from the ground by a disgruntled motorist.
The Gatso in Long Lane, Hillingdon, was ripped out presumably with the help of heavy machinery, and is lying prone on the side of the busy 30mph road.
Virginia DOT Defends Red Light Camera Study
Jan. 4, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
In 2007, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) performed one of the most comprehensive statewide surveys of the impact of red light cameras on safety. It caused quite a stir upon its release. The study took advantage of seven years' worth of data both before and after cameras were installed, examining a far more extensive dataset than most competing studies.
Despite the agency's best effort to present automated enforcement in a positive light, the unavoidable results were that, on a statewide level, accidents and injuries increased where cameras were used. This outcome has proved to be an embarrassment for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) which has been the primary organization generating research claiming that red light cameras improve safety. IIHS noted that VDOT essentially bent over backwards to accommodate the industry, but because the ultimate results were unfavorable, the VDOT report should be discarded.
Texas: Traffic Tickets Go Unpaid in Dallas
Jan. 2, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
Unpaid photo enforcement tickets have plagued private vendors like Australia's Redflex Traffic Systems, forcing the company to announce that profits have dropped by half. A report by the Dallas, Texas City Auditor released in March showed that municipalities are also feeling the pinch as four out of five motorists ignored municipal traffic tickets.
"Since FY 2002, the city has had a collection rate of 15.3 percent," Dallas Auditor Craig D. Kinton wrote. "In addition, the city has accumulated 1.1 million delinquent citations totaling $424.1 million in fines, court costs and fees. the probability of collection is substantially reduced because 78 percent or $330,767,771 is over one year old and has not been collected."
Florida: More Lawsuits Seek to End Red Light Cameras
Jan. 1, 2010 The Newspaper - ArticleExcerpt:
A class action lawsuit was filed Monday against Bradenton, Florida and American Traffic Solutions (ATS) seeking to end the use of red light cameras in the city. Attorney Jason D. Weisser challenged the program on behalf of motorist Jamie Rosenberg and all other recipients of $125 photo tickets since automated ticketing machines were installed in March 2008.
"This matter involves the unfair and illegal practices of the defendants, city of Bradenton and American Traffic Solutions, whose acts constitute unlawful business and reprehensible public policy practices," Weisser wrote in his brief to the court. "These practices have resulted in defendants' unjust enrichment, which is due to conversion of property belonging to plaintiffs and the deprivation of the plaintiffs' state, constitutional and statutory rights."