Rad Light Cameras Will Bust You

The Chicago Tribune ran an article today about red light cameras in Chicago. It had some very interesting information about how the cameras work, but lacked info about the revenue these cameras pull in - which is what I wanted to know about in the first place.

As it turns out, the cameras are very sophisticated - a series of magnetic sensors leading up to the intersection senses whether or not you're running the red light, then takes a photo and a 12-second video if you run the red. There are no sensors in the intersection, however, so if you are already past the line when the light turns (say, waiting to make a left turn), you won't be ticketed.

Weekends are the busiest for the cameras, particularly Saturdays. On an average weekend, there are about 30,000 violations collected, according to RedSpeed, one of the two operators of Chicago's cameras. In Illinois, however, unlike some other states, these violations don't end up affecting your license or insurance. But if you speed up every time that light turns yellow, you still need to be careful - just like with parking tickets, the city can move to suspend your license with too many unpaid violations.

And most intersections see a 40 percent decline in red light citations within 90 days of a camera's activation. As a result, they move cameras around when their rate of return decreases.

But the Tribune article doesn't really address what I actually wanted to know, which is how much of the revenue from tickets actually goes to the city. Redflex, one of Chicago's red-light enforcers, charges a flat fee of $24,500 for installing and maintaining each unit. RedSpeed, however, charges a monthly fee of $1,500 per camera as well as a percentage of each ticket issued. That fee ranges from 12 bucks to almost $36, "depending on the customer support the company provides." And RedSpeed gets more if you call to discuss of contest the citation.

The reason I mention this is because cities generally don't make much money on red light cameras. Part of this is because the cameras deter infractions and, as a result, they become less effective over time. But part is because in general, companies like Redflex or RedSpeed get more money per ticket than the city does. In California, where violations can cost you as much as $435 (seriously - my friend got a ticket that big for running a red), the state auditor reports that "red light cameras were not generating large amounts of revenue." In addition, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported in 2003 that red light camera installations only broke even in 40 percent of jurisdictions, while the cameras cost more than they gained in revenues in 60 percent of their locations.

Just think about that the next time you get a red light and curse the City of Chicago - they're not really making any money on you. Curse RedSpeed instead.

AP Photo/Jim Mone