City administration said these cameras need to be leased from an approved vendor, which will cost around $1.3 million each year.
Staff expect fines levied under the program will cover its operating costs.
That works out to ~$712 in fines per day per camera. That seems a ridiculous expectation and lease cost tbh.
Well, the idea is to make the roads safer – not turn a profit. If people stop speeding so much, they can always take them down again. 6 a day seems like a very achievable number for a long time though.
If the streets are safer for it, then its a worthwhile investment. Especially if you consider the alternative of enforcement would be hiring another police officer, which undoubtably would cost more and be limited in their ability to catch every person speeding. Suppose an argument could be made to say these cameras are taking police officer’s jobs, but frankly I think traffic enforcement should be below them, and let them focus on more real crimes going on.