Israeli Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit announced yesterday that he would solicit bids to install expand red light cameras and speed cameras to an unprecedented level. Israel currently has cameras using obsolete film technology stationed at just forty intersections. The government wants to modernize the network with 1,200 digital cameras installed at every intersection with a traffic light, surpassing heavily monitored countries like China with 100-percent ticket camera coverage.

The minister also announced plans to create storage lots to accommodate an expanded car confiscation program that would allow police officers to take vehicles for 30-60 days for people driving with an expired license, an overloaded vehicle, or under the influence. Some 1500 Israeli Defense Force soldiers would join the police in these efforts.

Red light camera tickets merit the highest level of traffic fine, NIS 1000 (US $210). The existing system generates US $8,360,000 in annual revenue. According to Israeli police calculations, there are 8.7 million unpunished red light violations in the country every year. Capturing just half of them with the expanded camera network would generate one billion US dollars in revenue.