Sorry, Lynnwood drivers, red light cameras sticking around
Mar 6, 2018, 10:13 AM | Updated: 10:21 am
(AP)
(AP)
Red light cameras will remain a part of daily life in Lynnwood.
Inching closer to relief on I-5 into Marysville
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Ian Jordan, who argued the red light cameras violated his civil rights. Jordan and his lawyer also alleged the City of Lynnwood hadn’t posted annual reports related to the cameras.
Jordan didn’t have legal standing, The Daily Herald reports of the judge’s decision.
The city, according to the Herald, called Jones’ argument “illogical” and “meritless.”
Jordan sought to get refunds for any drivers who paid tickets related to red light cameras over the past few years.
Jordan and his lawyer argued that while proponents say the cameras enhance safety, they are being used to generate revenue.
Lynnwood was one of the first cities in Washington state to use the cameras.
Back in 2012, then-City Council President Loren Simmonds told KIRO Radio the intention wasn’t to make money.
“It wasn’t born out of the fact that somebody got this sinister idea behind closed doors and said, man, we can make a bundle here. Because I want to tell you we had no idea what the financial implications of this would be,” Simmonds said at the time.
Lynnwood making good money off red light cameras
Lynnwood collected just over $19 million in gross revenue from red light cameras between 2007 and 2015. It costs the city around $648,000 to lease the technology, the Herald reports.
The city’s 2017 Annual Automated Traffic Safety Camera Report shows thousands of citations were issued last year. At the intersection of 36th Avenue and 196th Street, the city issued 8,751 citations. Six other red light cameras in intersections resulted in more than 1,000 citations.
Expiring contract
Lynnwood’s contract for the red light camera technology is linked to the City of Seattle. Seattle contracts with the same company.
The Herald reports short-term contract extensions have kept the technology alive in both cities. The current contracts expire at the end of this year.
