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Report: Study showed New Orleans would make millions lowering traffic camera threshold

The 26 mph threshold for speeding tickets was lowered to 24 mph without warning to drivers

NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans conducted a review in December showing that dropping the threshold for traffic camera tickets would net the city between $5.7 million and $7.2 million per year in traffic fines, according to the New Orleans Advocate. 

The city’s traffic cameras - largely found near school zones - have a cushion of a few miles over the speed limit before they take a photo of the car and send a ticket to the driver. In February, the city cut that cushion down without announcing the change to the public.

The analysis, conducted by the city at the end of 2018 and uncovered through a public records request by the New Orleans Advocate, shows city analysts predicted at least 76,000 more $75 tickets sent to drivers each year.

The estimates were prepared several months before the city dropped the speeds triggering traffic cameras by 2 mph without warning, leading numerous drivers to get speeding tickets.

The city has not released numbers on how many drivers were ticketed before the new thresholds became public last week, according to the New Orleans Advocate.

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