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School zone traffic camera apparently giving out mistimed tickets

Within the last month, four drivers have come forward to Eyewitness News to note that the times their speeding tickets have been issued, don't match up with the school zone enforcement hours posted. Ashley Robinson got her ticket on August 16.

NEW ORLEANS -- How many of you have received a ticket in a school zone that left you scratching your head as to how you missed the flashing lights?

Within the last month, four drivers have come forward to Eyewitness News to note that the times their speeding tickets have been issued, don't match up with the school zone enforcement hours posted. Ashley Robinson got her ticket on August 16.

"I'm on my way from getting groceries which included frozen food my last receipt, shows that I was out and about at 2:24 pm, which would put me in front of this giant, looming camera at 2:40 pm," Robinson showed us at the corner of Orleans and Miro.

She noted that day, that the warning lights were not flashing, so she maintained her speed with the flow of traffic on her way to the Treme, but then she saw a flash.

"Unfortunately I received a ticket that suggested I was driving around with my frozen food for an hour and twenty minutes to put me in front of this camera at 3:40 p.m."

Her ticket showed she was clocked at 31 miles per hour in a school zone where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour between, 7:00 am - 9:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Then shortly after the incident, she saw a post from her friend Lady Walker who lives in the Marigny. Walker received a similar ticket from the same camera on August 21.

"I saw the flash in my rearview, I looked at the clock and saw it was only 2:41, so I had no idea why I was getting ticketed in a school zone,” said Walker.

She then explained, she pulled over and posted to Facebook about what happened at 2:46, like a true millennial she added. However, the ticket that came in the mail was time-stamped 3:41 p.m.

Another driver, New Orleans Advocate writer Keith Spera told us he was on our way for an interview around 6 a.m. on August 17.

"I got a ticket on August 17 it said at 7:19 when the school zone was on. But I know it was 6:19 because I was on my way to WWL's TV studios to speak about Aretha Franklin's passing the day before," Spera said.

According to the Eyewitness News time stamp that morning, Spera was on camera at 6:47 a.m. Did he quickly leave and make a U-turn back on Orleans? It's hard for him to prove he didn't because the machine stamped 7:19 on the ticket, but drivers like Spera question, who has the kind of evidence to prove a camera's timing is off?

"The City needs to be held accountable They need to audit this equipment to make sure it's working improperly... This is evidence that this one specific camera is definitely not working, what about the others," claimed Robinson.

When Eyewitness News contacted the City and NOPD about the cameras, a Mayor's spokesperson person, they were still trying to find out to see if there was an issue.

Meanwhile, all of those whom we talked to, say they will be contesting the tickets. Whether they will win, we will check back in with them.

In the few hours we were able to observe the cameras outside of school hours, we did not see any flashes from drivers possibly speeding.

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