Profits from red light cameras are soaring in Philadelphia, according to the latest report from AAA Mid-Atlantic.
The motor club recently announced that the red light intersections near City Hall have brought in the most money for PennDOT. With revenue hitting an estimated $2.3 million, the intersection at South Broad Street and Penn Square south of City Hall landed the top spot for the most issued tickets, with “33,627 violations in the last fiscal year.” The total profits add up to a lucrative $7.6 million, revenue which is equally divided between the city and state.
Coming in at second place, according to the report, is “the north side of City Hall, at North Broad and JFK Boulevard, with 23,709 violations in the past fiscal year.” Other places that also made the list include “Roosevelt Boulevard and Mascher, in the Northeast; Roosevelt Boulevard and Levick; and 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue.”
Although red camera enforcement has been met with controversy in the past, AAA spokesperson Jenny Robinson explains, “Basically, violations decrease over time. The cameras are doing their job. Motorists become more accustomed to the cameras being in place.”
Robinson attributes the high number of tickets near City Hall to the fact that the cameras there were recently installed as well as to the different way traffic flows in that part of the city. Also, the PA Transportation Advisory Committee noted “a 66% decrease in fatal accidents and a 24% drop in injuries” at ten intersections with operating red light cameras for a minimum of three years.
A new PA measure signed in July is set on installing red light cameras in areas in suburban Philadelphia and Pittsburgh next month.
Source: NBC 10, CBS Philly
Related Posts:
Olga Hajishengallis
