While unpopular red-light cameras slow down, cameras to catch speeders get the green light
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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)
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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.