The City of New Orleans recently unveiled its 2017 budget, and it appears that 55 new traffic cameras are part of the grand plan. Specifically, New Orleans plans to introduce 45 permanent cameras, and 10 mobile cameras, into the Greater New Orleans area by April 2017. The City estimates that these cameras will increase the overall revenue by approximately $5 million.
The increased revenue will likely be met with frustration to many of the City’s residents who have already fallen victim to the traffic cameras. Upon receipt of a camera light ticket, the only known recourse, at this time, is to request a hearing with the City of New Orleans. Though many citizens have opted to ignore violation notifications, recent developments in other cities, such as Chicago, would prompt contrary action. Notably, the City of Chicago has initiated collections for outstanding parking tickets exceeding 5 years. This precedent doesn’t bode well for the citizens of New Orleans who opt to ignore rather than contest, or even pay. With the imposition of additional camera lights, it’s likely that we could anticipate a resurgence in complaints.