Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/11/1123.asp

5/12/2006

Georgia: Chatham County Dumping Unprofitable Cameras
Chatham County, Georgia dumps red light camera program after it fails to generate the promised level of profit.

Unhappy with losing money from a red light camera at the intersection of Highway 204 and King George Boulevard, officials in Chatham County Georgia have canceled their photo ticketing contract with Nestor Inc. after just five months. Chatham County expected the same success as nearby Savannah which brings in $60,000 in monthly profit from camera tickets. Because Chatham's program has lost $3000 each month, officials gave the camera vendor until Monday, June 12 to remove what was once hailed as a valuable public safety tool.

"It came down to, yes it serves a public safety function, but the systems should pay for themselves, and this system is not paying for itself," assistant city manager Pat Monahan told WTOC-TV. "But at this point we know this system will not work."

The county had expected at least $500,000 in profit from the $80 automated citations. Last September, Monahan said this revenue would help fund a deluxe, new police station able to withstand a category five hurricane.

Savannah, meanwhile, is looking to add more red light cameras to its ticketing program.

Source: Chatham County Losing Ineffective Red Light Cameras (WTOC-TV (GA), 5/12/2006)

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