FILE - In a Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 file photo, traffic passes a red light photo enforcement sign below a red light camera at the intersection of Route 1 and Franklin Corner Road, in Lawrence Township, N.J. New Jersey legislators recently discontinued the state’s red light camera pilot program after five years. The number of red-light cameras nationwide is falling because of opposition from lawmakers and average Joes _ but the use of cameras to catch speeders is slowly rising, potentially signaling a new battleground. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File) (The Associated Press)
NEWARK, N.J. – The battleground over traffic enforcement cameras may be shifting.
Nearly half of all states use cameras to track red-light or speeding violations, and some use both. But while the number of communities nationwide that use red-light cameras is gradually falling, the number of speed cameras is slowly rising.
New Jersey legislators recently discontinued the state's red-light camera pilot program after five years. The program was marred by a computer glitch that voided thousands of tickets and a federal lawsuit that resulted in millions of dollars in refunds.
Lawmakers in other states have curtailed or modified their camera programs, though courts recently upheld the use of the cameras in Ohio, California and Illinois. A ruling is pending in Missouri's Supreme Court.
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