Cities Dump Traffic Cameras

Nobody likes getting a ticket from a robot

Photo enforcement programs are being dropped at an increasing rate. On Tuesday, city leaders in Corona, California and Red Bank, Tennessee will vote to send their automated ticketing machine vendors packing. Just two years ago, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) won a major contract extension in Red Bank as the city rushed to avoid the possibility that the state legislature could impose limitations on automated ticketing. Red Bank's voters, however, have since put in place commissioners opposed to the use of traffic cameras, so city staff are now asking the board of commissioners to approve sending a formal termination notice to ATS.

Corona has already notified its vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia, that it is no longer interested in having red light cameras. In a region hit hard by the economic downturn, it is hard for municipal leaders to justify slapping vehicle owners with a $500 citation, especially as the city's net share of that amount is a little over $100. The city council's vote Tuesday will make the termination official.