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Officials Considering Doubling Number of Red Light Cameras
Photo by TheTruthAbout... via Flickr
The city could soon be bringing in more much-needed revenue if they follow through on discussions to expand the current red light camera program, according to the LA Times. Over the next few months LA's motorists could see cameras added to "blocks of eight intersections at a time and eventually doubling the overall reach of the program to 64 intersections."
The city's return on investment in the program and its technology is high: "Beyond payments of about $2 million to the city's camera vendor and $1.2 million for Police Department costs, the city's 32 camera-equipped intersections generated $6.4 million in net revenue in 2009."
The program, which is endorsed state-wide by Gov. Schwarzenegger, who hopes the ticket revenue will help fill a gap in the state budget, has its detractors, chiefly those who are concerned with safety. Not surprisingly, supporters of the program disagree: "LAPD officials and some experts say photo enforcement reduces potentially serious red-light-running accidents, changes driver behavior for the better and frees up patrol officers for other tasks."
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