How Many Photo Tickets Will It Take Before You Fight Back?
GPS is 100% Legal and Pays For Itself. Click Here To Learn More.
Another City Dumps
Red Light Cameras
24 Jan 2009  Add Rocky Mount to the growing list of North Carolina cities that have Dumped Red Light Cameras after the state's highest court insisted that profit from the devices must be given to the public schools.
The city last week decided to allow its contract with Traffipax, a German ticket camera operator, to expire without renewal.  Like most North Carolina cities, Rocky Mount was eager to install cameras in September 2002, adding a total of five intersections to the program to ensure a steady stream of revenue. By 2005, The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, the red light camera industry trade group run by the public relations firm Blakey and Agnew, created data designed to show incredible accident reductions at intersections within the state that used red light cameras. The programs were all declared a success.
"North Carolina ranks third in the nation for the number of communities using this technology," the industry group boasted in a press release. This excitement ended in 2007 when the state supreme court upheld a ruling that found Article IX, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution applied to red light camera tickets. The provision states that "the clear proceeds of all penalties... shall be... used exclusively for maintaining free public schools" (read final opinion). This meant that local governments had to turn over photo ticketing revenue to the schools and not the general municipal operating budget. Any city wishing to continue its photo ticketing program would have to pay for it. In addition to Rocky Mount, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greenville, Greensboro, High Point and Raleigh shut down their red light camera programs after the court ruling. Source The Guru's View This leads me to wonder how long the Photo Enforcement Programs in Canada would last if they were forced to give the Money to Schools. It would certainly be better invested in education then general revenue in a City Budget! | I challenge our visitors to send a quick email to your Mayors, Counselors and Police Chiefs to pose the idea with them. Remind them that since the programs are about safety and Not Revenue then naturally after they cover their costs why not give the excess to education and invest in our youth. See what kind of Responses you get. Please send a copy of their replies to us by email to info@trafficticketguru.com. I'd love to see them. |
Larry Stefanuik
trafficticketguru.com
Phantom Plate Specials and Promos - Buy 2 Photoblocker cans and Get the 3rd for FREE, and more...
Save $33 with a 3-month subscription on Lavalife.com 
Back to top of page.
Back to The Guru's Views.
|
