Posted on 07/16/2010 8:13:06 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
Several dozen Arizona speed enforcement cameras have officially stopped clicking earlier this morning as the state of Arizona officially killed a traffic enforcement program that failed to generate promised revenue.
The state ended its two-year contract with Australia-based Redflex Traffic Systems, the company responsible for installing the cameras and processing imagery. A total of 76 fixed and mobile cameras will be removed from state streets and highways by Labor Day.
The state said that drivers that have been snapped along Arizona highways before Friday morning are still responsible for paying the tickets. Drivers, however, are taking a different tune. “I wouldn’t do anything…nothing,” said one Arizona driver, thinking that the tickets will simply go away. “It’ll be pushed under the table,” said another.
A large number of Arizona drivers have refused to pay their mailed citations during the course of the traffic enforcement program, arguing that drivers must be served by a police officer or designate before they are legally obligated to pay the fine.
Critics of the program argued that the program was nothing more than a ploy to generate revenue for the state and had little to do with improving public safety. Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar is one such critic, and said they plan to add measures to local city ballots to ban the cameras.
The failed traffic program resulted in more than 1.1 million citations being issued, but less than half of those were paid. Former Governor Janet Napolitano predicted the enforcement program would generate close to $100 million for the state.
Talked with a guy once who was a sales rep selling these systems to local governments. Basically their entire sales pitch is “open this spigot and you’ll have gushers of MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY flowing your way, Mr. Mayor”
” killed a traffic enforcement program that failed to generate promised revenue “
Am I the only one who sees something terribly wrong with this??
That sure does make it sound like it was about revenue generation and not safety, doesn't it?
I despise politicians.
Critics of the program argued that the program was nothing more than a ploy to generate revenue for the state and had little to do with improving public safety.
Critics of the program argued that the program was nothing more than a ploy to generate revenue for the state and had little to do with improving public safety.
Critics of the program argued that the program was nothing more than a ploy to generate revenue for the state and had little to do with improving public safety.
If they didn’t generate enough money, why didn’t they just raise the fine? Isn’t that how it’s done these days? /s
BTW, in my state, a red light camera ticket is almost $500. I know because I got one and I defended myself and I won (without going to court) mainly because you can always count on the laziness of bureaucracy (if you stay on their nice side).
Not at all. It's an open admission that the purpose of the cameras was to generate revenue.
This was Jano's program which she couched in a safety facade. It was always intended as a revenue program and it failed because the public refused to buy in. The Orwellian aspect of those cameras staring at you everywhere you went was eerie and the disconcerted public found them to be too intrusive.
Napaolitano was a very weak and ineffectual governor with visions of grandeur.
And that is all these damn cameras were in the first place, unjust taxation of its citizens. Nothing more. All ticket making cameras, including the red lite cameras, should be immediately remove from all highways in the US. As a guess at least 1/2 of all laws are to punish its citizens by unjust fines by removing freedom. The box we now live in is just too small to be considered freedom.
We had them in Roseville (CA) and they were taken down about 2 years ago. The police and courts did not anticipate the huge number of folks who disputed the tickets. They had just one person assigned to the program and he was overwhelmed with work. I got a ticket and just threw it away. After several "warning" letters I got a notice that it was dismissed.
“Janet Napolitano predicted the enforcement program would generate close to $100 million for the state.”
Wonder what possible advantage she saw to not enforcing border laws?<sarc
NO!
We need to let as many in as possible and grant them amnesty. We need to over run the country with more criminals which is a requirement to be part of the Obama administration. The ILLEGALS will keep Obama in power forever! Plus we don't want to disrupt endangered mouse of whatever it is in the desert where ILLEGAS cross.
If it was such a good racket, they wouldn’t be leasing them from a private company that gets 50% of ticket revenue. Wonder what kind of deals the lobbyists secure with city officials.
Let’s put ticketing cameras up on the border.
Pay the fine or face deportation.
How true. I guess that's why BO thought she'd make an EXCELLENT head of DHS! IIRC, she actually wanted speed cameras on ALL roads in the state.
My son got one of these tickets passing through Arizona on his way back to Oklahoma after serving in the Marines. He didn’t have to pay due to inability to cross examine his accuser. Also, equal protection clause was violated by these because the fine issued by police was different than fine if by camera. Democrat Oklahoma gov. is wanting these in our state.
The article kind of misstates the situation. The way AZ state law is written they have no proof you received mailed tickets so indeed you don’t have to pay them. If, on the other hand, the ticket is served by a representative of the courts they know you got it and you have to pay.
And, saddest of all, this only effect the STATE cameras, city cameras are on separate contracts and seem to have all been renewed. So don’t go blowing through Tanque Verde and Kolb thinking the thing is turned off.
What the greedy politicos don’t seem to understand is that illegals don’t pay fines!!!! They’ll simply steal another license plate and carry on!
The cities local to me all had those #@$#@$#$@ red-light cameras. With much ballyhoo, the powers that be commissioned a local University (they volunteered to do it for free, thus saving us all tax $$$$) to study how the incidence of traffic accidents "improved" after the cameras were put in place.
The study found that at the intersections with the cameras, personal injury accidents (think T-Bone collisions) went down - albeit by a statistically insignificant amount. However, property damage accidents (think rear-end, fender benders, etc) went UP dramatically - something like 63% (if memory serves).
The town council's solution? Toss the study, and bring in a series of *paid* "consultants" to tell them what they wanted to hear.
The cameras were finally tossed on an obscure law where 90% of all civil fines needed to go to school systems. Since the camera company was already raking $35 out of every $50 ticket, right off the top, that was hard to do. The city gov't refused to make up the difference, killed the contract, and took the cameras out. Thus, IMHO, proving that the whole deal was about money, and not safety, after all.
So far, the cameras are still off. It's been about 5 years, I think. Every now and again some fool brings them back up again, and gets slapped down quickly. :-)
“Several dozen Arizona speed enforcement cameras have officially stopped clicking earlier this morning as the state of Arizona officially killed a traffic enforcement program that failed to generate promised revenue.”
Unusual candor for government personnel; the program was never about safety or law and order or anything like that - it was all about da munny!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.