LA Parish Issues 2488 Refunds for Unfair Speed Camera Trap
Officials representing Livingston Parish, Louisiana have canceled speeding tickets for all motorists caught in a notorious speed camera trap on Interstate 12. After numerous public complaints, officials were forced to admit 2488 citations were unfairly issued between January 26 and February 5, according to the Baton Rouge Business Report. Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia has operated the speed camera van on the parish’s behalf since January. As a productivity incentive, the company pockets $33 for every ticket it issues. Redflex found the most profitable position was around mile marker 15 on I-12 where the speed limit drops from 70 MPH to 60. Because there is no perceptible change in the freeway at the location, those who missed or ignored the sign became the targets for an instant ticket.
Livingston Parish photo citations cost vehicle owners between $100 and $464 each, and so far Redflex has issued 7,247 of them, generating substantial revenue for local officials.
“Recognizing our unique ability to reach this market’s untapped possibilities, we are excited to build relationships with local governments like Livingston Parish,” Redflex Holdings Board Member Karen Finley said in a statement last year celebrating the five-year contract it signed with the parish.
Earlier this month, the Louisiana State Police issued a $182 ticket to a Redflex speed camera van for the driver’s failure to use a turn signal on the interstate in Livingston Parish.
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Scameras indeed....
Ha! Another stick in the eye of a traffic cam scam!
Invisible hand of the free market at work
I appreciate the posts, but don't forget that non-speed camera speeding tickets, including with no nasty foreign or private sector involvement, are still revenue generators. I know of plenty locations exactly like the one mentioned which are speed traps with regular old highway patrol cars with radar guns. Never heard of them getting thrown out en masse, though, despite some truly ludicrous placements. The problem isn't largely the speed cameras or the outsourcing or anything, though the cameras do make it easier to do a bad idea. The problem is that nearly all speeding enforcement is pure revenue generation anyway. You can see from the studies that detail how speeding tickets issued go up when local government revenues decline.