DC Saw $55 Million Annual Revenue From Speed Cameras - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
If you think speeding through a red light is no big deal as long as those blue, flashing lights don’t appear behind you, you may want to think again, especially if you live in Washington D.C. The District of Columbia raked in a whopping $55 million in 2011 after installing cameras to detect violators.
Amazingly, fewer tickets were issued in 2011 than 2010, but more revenue was brought in due to an increase in ticket costs. More people were also willing to pay, probably in part because a camera catches the offender red-handed making it harder fight in court. D.C. authorities claim the use of cameras is to ensure traffic safety, but residents think the fines are ridiculous, saying the district is raking in the money.
Gretna, Louisiana took in more than $7 million resulting from traffic fines, estimating the current revenue to be about $100,000 per month, but Louisiana lawmakers are pushing to have prior resident vote approval to allow for installation of the devices. Chicago was recently approved for use of the controversial cameras, meaning drivers could shell out up to $100 per ticket.
