Money May Keep Red Light Cameras Out of ‘Burbs

It’s now legal for red light cameras to come to some local neighborhoods, but economics may keep them away.

In June, the legislature passed House Bill 254, which basically allowed for the cameras to be used in Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Bucks counties as well as Pittsburgh starting in September, and reauthorize the red light camera program in Philadelphia through July 2017.

Municipalities eligible for the red light cameras would have to exceed 20,000 residents and have full-time police forces accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

That means red light cameras could be coming to:

Chester County: West Chester, West Goshen, West Whiteland townships
Delaware County: Media Borough; Haverford, Radnor, Upper Darby townships, City of Chester
Montgomery County: Lower Merion, Abington, Horsham, Lower Providence, Montgomery, Upper Dublin and Upper Merion townships and Norristown Borough

Cameras Cost Money

A report from the Pennsylvania Transportation Advisory Committee says each camera has to generate more than 300 tickets per month to pay for its costs, according to an article in the Pennsylvania Independent, and
violations from cameras can drop off as much as half in a year.

The report suggested that only Pittsburgh, and not the suburban communities have the right conditions to make the cameras self-sustaining, the Pennsylvania Independent wrote.

What do you think about red light cameras? Should they be in the suburbs? Is it worth having the municipality pay the overhead for the added safety? Let us know in the comments.