Local governments were expecting big payoffs with the red-light cameras in the area.
Unfortunately for them, these devices haven’t met the expectations of officials in West Palm Beach and in Palm Bach County, according to the Palm Beach Post. Not every municipality is sharing in the disappointment, however, as three other county municipalities have made a profit from the same camera company. According to County administrators, the cameras haven’t generated enough income to even cover the fees that are now owed to the camera company, American Traffic Solutions of Arizona.
Our county’s 10 cameras may have generated about $308,000 in revenue, but that’s not going to cover the close to $457,000 bill. It’s not all bad news for county officials though as the contract says that they’re not required to pay back the difference until the cameras make a profit.
“We aren’t making any money off of this process either, because we aren’t generating the citations that were expected,” said County Administrator Bob Weisman.
Our West Palm Beach car accident lawyers understand the debate that’s been revolving around these cameras from the beginning. County officials say that they were installed to help to reduce intersections accidents and not to make a profit. Counter arguments claim the cameras are meant to make a quick buck, with no regards for traffic safety. Still, there’s no profit and the number of accidents at intersections has not really fluctuated because of the eye in the sky. Now, our county owes the Arizona camera company close to $200,000 once the cameras break even. Only one of the city’s intersection red-light cameras was actually able to make a profit since being installed in 2010.
Now, officials in West Palm Beach are taking another look at these cameras and discussing where changes may be needed. One of the possible changes is changing the timing of the yellow light, making it shorter so that more drivers will likely run the light. In turn, this will allow for more citations to be issued, more fines to be paid and more profit for officials.
Juno Beach, Palm Springs and Boynton Beach all made a profit with their cameras this year. And they too are contracted with American Traffic Solutions.
Boynton Beach has 11 red-light cameras. They’ve been able to generate close to $365,000 this year alone. Because they’ve brought in so much money, officials have decided to add five more cameras to some of the city’s busiest intersections.
Juno Beach has 7 cameras and they’ve been able to produce close to $422,000 this year.
Palm Springs has only 4 cameras, but has able to collect close to $200,000 over the last year.
The cameras in Palm Beach County would have to hand out close to 65 tickets each month to cover the fees, the $4,750 fee for each camera. Two of the lights in the county haven’t even come close to hitting that number.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact the injury attorneys of Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC for a free consultation to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-561-7777.
Additional Resources:
Red-light cameras fall short of profits for Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, by Jennifer Sorentrue, Palm Beach Post
More Blog Entries:
Red-Light Camera Raking in Millions in Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, August 20, 2012