City's Most Profitable Red Light Cameras: Outside City Hall
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new report from AAA Mid-Atlantic finds that of the two dozen intersections in Philadelphia with red light camera enforcement, the ones near City Hall rake in the most dough.
AAA spokeswoman Jenny Robinson says it is the heart of center city where you'll find the greatest number of red light camera violations.
"The busiest one with the most tickets is the South Broad Street and Penn Square, the south side of City Hall. That location has 33,627 violations in the last fiscal year," she tells KYW Newsradio.
Busiest, and most profitable. Robinson estimates that that intersection brought more than $2 million in net revenue, which goes to Penndot.
(Each citation is $100; AAA is deducting operating expenses and assuming less than 100-percent compliance. AAA based its report on raw data from the Philadelphia Parking Authority, which oversees the red light camera program).
The second busiest red light camera intersection was a block away, on the north side of City Hall at Broad Street.
Why so many tickets at City Hall?
"The cameras around City Hall have been there less time," Robinson notes. "Basically, violations decrease over time. The cameras are doing their job. Motorists become more accustomed to the cameras being in place."
An additional challenge for drivers, she says, is the unusual traffic pattern around the massive building.
"It's a little bit complicated," she says.
The next three red-light cameras that snag the most motorists are at Roosevelt Boulevard and Mascher, in the Northeast; Roosevelt Boulevard and Levick; and 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue.
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Starting next Monday, KYW Newsradio 1060 and CBS Philly will be presenting a special series of reports on red light cameras and other high-tech traffic enforcement tools.
