Red-Light Cameras Are History and So Are Those Unpaid Tickets

The red-light cameras at Santa Monica / Fairfax in West Hollywood are unaffected. (photo by Andy Sternberg via Flickr)

L.A. city council voted unanimously on Wednesday to discontinue red-light camera ticketing, ending an eight-year program that led to moving violations for more than 180,000 motorists.

The delayed city council vote comes more than six weeks after the Police Commission voted to recommend canceling the program, which began in 2004 and has been a money sieve for the city ever since. While the 32-camera system was expensive to maintain, it was also difficult for the city to collect the fines for the moving violations, which would appear mysteriously in the mailbox of the vehicle owner days after the fact.

In June 2010 City Council extended its wasteful contract with Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions, in spite of the city's almost entirely symbolic boycott of Arizona-based companies in light of that state's passage of SB 1070.

Can the city still enforce any outstanding tickets generated by the red-light camera program? The fact that city hall can't seem to agree on an answer would seem to indicate: no. The L.A. Times notes:

The City Council vote comes after this week's surprising revelation that authorities cannot force ticketed red-light camera violators to pay the fine. For a variety of reasons, including the way the law was written, Los Angeles officials said the fines were essentially "voluntary" and that there are virtually no tangible consequences for those who refuse to pay.

"Virtually no tangible consequences" sounds like a free pass to us. As for past red-light camera generated tickets we were foolish enough to pay in the past (at up to $476 per violation), don't expect any IOUs.

In related news, Orange City Council voted unanimously to ban red-light cameras on Tuesday and Westminster is putting the issue on the November ballot, according to the OC Register.

Regardless of what an incredible nuisance red-light cameras were for all parties involved, consensus remains that it's still uncool to run a red light.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@laist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Andy Sternberg in News on July 27, 2011 3:40 PM

Comments [rss]

James Bosset

Does anyone know if this applies to
Fountain Ave & Crescent Heights Blvd intersection?

Joslyn Real Segoviano

i also wanna kno about inglewood

antoine21

if you find out anything about inglewood could you let me know im @ antoine.harris81@yahoo.com

Yolanda

What about Inglewood?

DiegoHenry

LA City: good! Everywhere else: Ticketing will increase. Why?

There is a bill in Sacramento, right now, which if not
vetoed will allow cities to reduce posted speeds by 5 mph, even on streets with
a great safety record. The lower limits will allow them to shorten yellows. The
shortening permitted by a 5 mph decrease in the speed will increase red light
cam ticketing by at least 50%. (Four of the sponsoring cities have red light
cams.) Worse, the shortening will increase severe accidents by 30 to 40%. (Source: "Development of Guidelines for Treating Red-Light Running," Texas
Transp. Inst. pg 2-20.)

It is AB 529, and it is going to Gov. Brown for signature - or veto.

Defeat AB 529! Phone Brown, at 916 445-2841, or email him via the form at gov.ca.gov , and ask him to veto. Also phone the AAA,
and your union or professional association.

To the pro-camera anti-car people and cities thinking
of supporting this bill for the money more tickets will bring: Try to remember that this bill will increase severe accidents, a lot. Just for money.

esarby

I got excited and then realized my ticket was issued in West Hollywood :[

Scott

Damn, I shouldn't have paid mine., I got it in Hawthorne. I am guessing thats still a part of this right?

LindsayWilliamRoss

Hawthorne is its own city, Scott. Best double check with the City of Hawthorne to see if they are still operating and enforcing red light cameras/tickets. Today's vote was the City of Los Angeles's Council.

bobloblaw

Todays LA Times article stated that all of LA county

LindsayWilliamRoss

In the link we use, it doesn't say that--and that also is not possible. The LA City Council can't make those decisions for other cities. The LA Now article we cite says that when it comes to enforcing tickets there is a county-wide issue: "That has limited the Los Angeles County Superior Court system's
willingness to aggressively enforce collections for the city and 32
other photo enforcement programs in Los Angeles County, officials said." (So, in the county, there are 33 red light programs. Today's LA City Council vote affects just one, the City of L.A..)

bobloblaw

http://www.latimes.com/news/lo...

LindsayWilliamRoss

Right. The article is discussing the County-wide matter of ticket enforcement, which is an issue, though some cities in L.A. County have, and are happy with, their red light programs (I believe the article cites Santa Clarita). What it does not say is that today's L.A. City Council vote ended the red light camera program anywhere but in the City of Los Angeles. Ticket enforcement is a County matter--but the ruling today did not automatically render tickets issued in other cities in the county invalid. However, someone who gets a ticket in a City other than L.A. may find that the County doesn't do such a great job of following through on forcing them to pay their ticket. Again, the LA City Council cannot make decisions for the entire County.