Cameras boost city revenues -QCTimes
Apparently our speed cameras are the most profitable thing since the Niabi Zoo train. It was previously estimated that they would take in $120,000, and they've actually taken in $220,000 in 6 months. Considering that I haven't gotten any red light or speed camera tickets, I should be happy that people who are either in too much of a hurry or don't read the newspaper are paying the city more money than I. However, I still can't get over the 10mph over maximum allowable speed. Many people occasionally drive that speed, and its probably through a combination of luck and knowing where the cameras are that have keep people like myself from getting tickets.
If the city has taken in almost twice as much as they expected, I believe they should raise the minimum speed for ticketing to 15mph over and see what effect that has on revenues. I would say that takes away the threat from people who drive the "usual" 10mph over, but I suspect that there would still be PLENTY of tickets given out. The city could try it for a month, not end up mailing a single ticket, and still be ahead of estimates. I vividly remember reading an article in the Times a few years ago talking about changing the speed limit on 53rd where someone from the city was quoted saying that speed limits are set with the assumption that people drive 10 over.
I'd also be curious to know the rate at which they are successfully collecting the fines for these offenses. Hopefully better than the parking ticket payment rate.
13 comments:
But you see grasshopper the camera company is the one who REALLY decides the threshold on the speed cameras. They tell the city what has to be done for the cameras to be "free".
My son, we have the power. Yes, at some point the camera company may want to pull their devices, but there is a happy medium, like QCI has suggested. Its time we let our voices be heard. Raise the limit!!
I have known 3 people receiving tickets from your city, all speeding, and all were visisting QC on business. Two of those individuals contribute to the decisions on new projects for our facility over other plants. Not a determining factor, but plent of e-mails circulated highlighting the negative of visits to Davenport. One person was happy that we provided a camera location map for future visits.
It would be interesting to see a zipcode breakdown of the mailed tickets.
to 9:24 AM
Stop with your veiled suggestion that because Davenport enforces at least one law on our books (speeding) you might not do a new project here. Good, we don't any more lawbreakers and folks who whine when the city actually enforces something.
Yeah those dirty lawbreakers with the ability to generate revenue. Your final phrase, "when the city actually enforces something" expresses the true faith you have in your city.
Run the speeders out of town, and then all that is left is vandals, dealers, and theives.
Exactly! We run everybody out of town on a reguler basis. If Davenport were the last city on earth, I would not want to build a new business here with the City's attitude.
Give us a break, Barney,the police should ticket themselves as they jaywalk across Harrison to the police station.That is against the law.
There is no "jaywalking" ordinance in Davenport.
Are you sure about that? I remember hearing a story of a cop who wrote people jaywalking tickets for walking down the middle of a street instead of using the sidewalk.
I had a post about this on my blog as well. I've kind of changed my mind a bit. These cameras are a more efficient way to enforce a certain law (in this case speeding), so our cops can spend their time battling the other (usually much uglier) problems.
Right now the threshhold is 12 MPH over, and they are talking about lowering it to 10 MPH. I don't care if a lot of people "normally" go 10 MPH over the limit. It depends on the street a bit, but going over 47 in a 35 is usually quite dangerous whether you're from out of town or not.
If they keep it at 12 over, I have considerably less problem with the program. I was under the impression that they had already gone down to 10 mph of leeway. The average cop would be much more likely to write you a ticket for going 12 over than 10.
I thought they were proposing 8 mph once the cameras were established.
Speed cameras remind me of the small town speed trap. No one in the small town ever gets a ticket because they all know where the cop sits. Tickets go to out-of-towners, and it's a great source of revenue for the town. As I drove the length of both Brady and Harrison on Memorial Day, it was comical to watch the traffic slow as it approached certain intersections. Soon, all Quad Citians will memorize the camera locations, and the only drivers getting tickets will be visitors. "Glad you ate in our restaurants, stayed in our hotels and shopped at out malls. The sales tax and motel tax you left behind is much appreciated. By the way, while you were here one of our cameras caught you speeding. Now pay up and please come back real soon!"
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