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Anaheim, California and Mukilteo, Washington voters will decide in November on whether to ban red light cameras and speed cameras.

Residents of Mukilteo, Washington and Anaheim, California will vote this November on whether to ban red light cameras and speed cameras. Washington initiative guru Tim Eyman joined representatives from BanCams.com and the Campaign for Liberty yesterday in announcing that the required number of signatures had been collected to force an anti-camera initiative onto the next ballot. A total of 1909 signed in a matter of just two weeks.

Read more via California, Washington Voters To Vote On Banning Red Light Cameras.

Sykesville, Maryland becomes the tenth jurisdiction to ban speed cameras by referendum

Sykesville, Maryland yesterday became the tenth jurisdiction to reject the use of photo enforcement by referendum. The town was to be the first in Carroll County to operate automated ticketing machines after leaders approved an ordinance designating three speed camera zones on February 22. These plans fell through after a group of residents collected more than enough signatures within the thirty-day deadline to put an ordinance repeal on the ballot. Sixty-one percent of Sykesville voters insisted on repealing the use of speed cameras.

Read more via Maryland: Town Residents Vote To Ban Speed Cameras.

Missouri takes a step toward becoming the sixteenth state to ban automated ticketing machines.

The Missouri state Senate on Monday voted overwhelmingly to ban the use of red light cameras and speed cameras. The measure’s champion, state Senator Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis), had failed in previous efforts to convince his colleagues to end the use of automated ticketing machines. This year, however, he was emboldened by the state supreme court’s decision last month to strike down Springfield’s photo ticketing as illegal (view opinion). Lembke successfully attached the red light camera prohibition to a broader, 106-page transportation measure that included a number of miscellaneous provisions. The vote was 23 to 8 in favor of the ban.

"No county, city, town, village, municipality, state agency, or other political subdivision of this state that is authorized to issue a notice of violation for a violation of a state or local traffic law or regulation, shall use or employ an automated photo red light enforcement system at any intersection within its jurisdiction," Lembke’s amendment stated.

Read more via Missouri Senate Votes To Ban Photo Enforcement.

Residents of six cities in Maryland, Ohio and Texas circulate petitions to ban automated ticketing machines.

Citizen activists are looking to ban red light cameras and speed cameras in Maryland, Ohio and Texas. Petition drives are under way in six cities with the goal of offering local residents the opportunity to vote in the next election on whether automated ticketing should continue or not. Already, one of these efforts has succeeded.

Read more via Citizens Around The Country Consider Banning Traffic Cameras.

Photo ticketing outlawed on state and federal roads in New Mexico.

The cities of Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe have sixty days to pull down the red light cameras and speed cameras currently operating on state and federal roads in New Mexico. The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) announced yesterday that transportation commission members unanimously decided to outlaw automated ticketing machines on thoroughfares within its jurisdiction.

"There seems to be many competing studies out there that make confusing claims about the efficacy of the devices currently in use," State Transportation Commission Chairman Johnny Cope said in a news release. "While the true safety impact of the use of these cameras is still murky at best, one thing has become clear to the Commission — more and more New Mexico cities seem to be putting driver-generated revenues ahead of sound traffic management techniques; frankly, that concept really troubles me."

Data from Las Cruces showed that red light cameras failed to produce any significant reduction in accidents nine months into the program (view data). This finding is consistent with a number of controlled studies conducted around the world (view studies). Despite the poor safety results, red light cameras and speed cameras have generated revenue windfall in the cities that use them. Albuquerque’s program, for example, has generated tens of millions in profit.

The new directive does not affect automated systems installed on local roads. After deciding to take a cut of the revenue from fines, the state government gave municipal authorities the ability to install cameras. State and federal roads, however, tend to have the greatest traffic volume and revenue potential. NMDOT identified eight specific intersections that would be affected under the new policy.

"Any existing red-light cameras violating this new policy must be removed within sixty days of the implementation of the policy," Transportation Secretary Gary Giron said. "NMDOT will work with each city on this issue; shutting down and ultimately removing the devices in a timely manner."

Update: Governor Bill Richardson issued a statement in support of the move. 
"After six years of red light cameras in New Mexico, I remain deeply skeptical of this excessive, big-brother approach to public safety," Richardson said. "I fully support the ban of these cameras and vans on state and federal roads and highways, and I commend the Transportation Commission for taking a decisive stand on this issue."

via New Mexico: Photo Enforcement Generating Millions.

Bluff City is a city without a mayor or vice mayor.  In fact they have had four mayors resign over the past two years.   Warning, they want your money.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — While Bristol Motor Speedway officials are fretting that Bluff City’s new speed cameras on U.S. Highway 11E might upset and alienate unsuspecting race visitors, city officials said Wednesday that the controversial detectors will be operating during the March 19-21 race weekend. Read more via Bristol fans, beware: Cameras will be on Speedway weekend » Knoxville News Sentinel.

Louisiana legislators propose a series of measures to ban traffic cameras or put them to a public vote.

Local governments that use red light cameras and speed cameras would be forced put the future of these efforts to a public vote under a proposal by a team of Louisiana state lawmakers. Led by Representative Jeff Arnold (D-Algiers), a bipartisan team of seven on Monday pre-filed legislation to rein in the use of automated enforcement systems.

Arnold’s preference is to ban them outright with House Bill 160, but he prepared an alternative measure designed to be more attractive to his colleagues with close ties to local government. House Bill 159 would require a referendum before any automated ticketing machine could issue fines in a local city or parish.

via Louisiana Lawmaker Proposes Local Votes For All Traffic Camera Programs.

 Avondale, Arizona cancels photo enforcement after it failed to generate accident reduction or profit.

Avondale, Arizona last week decided to terminate its contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) for the operation of red light cameras and speed cameras. The city council made its decision primarily on financial grounds after the program failed to deliver on its promise of enhanced safety and substantial profit. With Avondale facing a $3.8 million budget deficit, officials decided the cameras had to go.

"The largest reduction in budgeted appropriations comes from the camera traffic enforcement program," Avondale Finance Director Kevin Artz wrote in a February 8 memo to the council. "The police department has assessed the effectiveness of the program and determined that potentially the program costs outweigh the benefits. With the total costs of the program exceeding the revenue and little change in accident rate, staff recommends that council consider eliminating or suspending the program."

The city allowed ATS to deploy two red light cameras and one mobile speed camera van. Over the past two years, ATS issued 6326 photo citations, with the number of tickets issued down 46 percent in 2009. While some cities would trumpet this reduction as evidence of the benefit of camera use, Avondale provided a different explanation.

"In June 2009 the decision was made to discontinue photo enforcement at intersections for failing to stop turning right on a red light," Police Chief Kevin Kotsur wrote. "This was based on a review of the previous year’s accident rate that revealed there were no traffic accidents caused by a vehicle failing to stop on a red light turning right at an intersection… This decision appears to account for the majority of this decrease."

Since the economic recession took hold in 2007, traffic volumes have dropped nationwide. As a result, traffic fatalities have hit all-time lows. Since the beginning of the recession, fatal crashes have dropped 14.7 percent across the country. The half-mile radius surrounding Avondale’s camera locations only saw a 7 percent drop in accidents. Areas farther from the cameras experienced a more significant drop in the number of crashes.

The city budget did estimate that cameras would generate $318,610 in net revenue for the city, but Kotsur noted that indirect costs associated with the program would mean the city would wind up losing $80,000. Avondale’s contract was set to expire on September 19, 2010, but an early termination clause allowed cancellation without penalty to the city. A copy of the city council memo is available in a 260k PDF file at the source link below.

 Source: Budgetary Update and Strategy Discussion (City of Avondale, Arizona, 2/8/2010)

via Arizona: City Dumps Money Losing Traffic Cameras.

As Tennessee lawmakers question whether photo enforcement companies should be regulated, a pending court case could decide the question.

As members of the Tennessee General Assembly consider whether to impose new regulations on photo enforcement vendors in the state, a pending court challenge seeks the enforcement of existing regulatory statutes against the firms. The state House Transportation Committee yesterday held a hearing that examined how Lasercraft, a company based in Bridlington, England, operates red light cameras on behalf of the city of Knoxville. State Representative Ben West, Jr. (D-Hermitage) questioned why this company is not regulated by the state

Read more via Tennessee: Camera Company Challenged on PI License Issue.

A 2006 attorney general ruling and a 2009 law ensure photo enforcement remains illegal in South Carolina.
Earlier this year the South Carolina General Assembly enacted a law that will make it even more difficult for red light camera and speed camera vendors to attempt to do business in the state. Under a provision that took effect on April 9, police are authorized to replace traditional handwritten citations with "electronic traffic tickets" designed to speed the roadside ticketing process. These electronic citations, however, cannot be used as part of a photo enforcement system.

Read more via Photo Enforcement Illegal in South Carolina.