According to a February 2013 theNewspaper.com online report, Atlanta’s red light camera operation has completely ceased. Facing millions in penalties, the City of Atlanta has allegedly ignored state law governing the use of red light cameras.
A 2009 Georgia state law requires that all red light camera second notice citations be mailed using certified mail. Atlanta’s WGCL investigated and found that 15,000 tickets were sent without this safeguard.
Accused of ignoring the law, the City of Atlanta and the private vendor, Xerox/Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) are sharing the blame. The city’s contract with ACS will expire March 16.
In addition, Atlanta was, in 2009 accused of neglecting to lengthen the yellow light time by one second, another requirement of the law.
State Senator Barry Loudermilk, who sponsored the original law, said, “The reason we had them sent certified is to ensure it’s not going to the wrong address.”
Loudermilk added, “We’ve had instances where the owner of the vehicle was not the driver, and we know they weren’t because the owner of the vehicle was out of the country for six months. So the registered owner is out, the citation is sent to their home, they have someone picking up their mail and it sits on their credenza for when they get back.”
Atlanta is not the only major city to stop red light camera citations. Others like Los Angeles and Houston have already done so.
Money is also involved in the situation. Red light cameras, when working properly, produce a great deal of revenue for the government. Millions of dollars of this revenue may now stop, as well.
