- Ohio’s cameras continue to generate millions in revenue despite anti-profit regulations.
- Exemptions in school zones ensure that automated penalties remain financially beneficial.
- Some communities profit while others scarcely issue citations.
Ohio legislators put in significant effort to eliminate the profit incentive from automated ticketing to ensure drivers are treated fairly, yet many towns continue to quietly generate revenue. New documents reveal that 15 Ohio communities are operating traffic cameras andbringing in millions of dollarsevery year, despite the law being designed to make it financially unwise.
For each dollar a city receives from camera penalties, the state takes back a dollar from its Local Government Fund. In theory, this makes traffic cameras a zero-sum situation.
School Zones Offer Great Opportunities
In reality, numerous towns continue to use them. The major exception is addressed by fixed cameras.school zones, which are exempt from the fine and have turned into prime property for automated enforcement.
Records obtained by Cleveland highlight the extreme disparities within the camera economy. At the top of the rankings is Newburgh Heights, a small village with only two cameras located on Harvard Road. These two poles produced an astonishing $4.3 million in one year.
Related: What’s Your Trick for Avoiding Speed Cameras?
East Cleveland generated approximately $2.9 million from a dozen locations, whereas Dayton collected $2.4 million from 15 sites throughout the city.
Next is Linndale, a town with about 100 residents that managed to collect almost $2.3 million from a single camera on Memphis Road. Parma places cameras only in school areas, yet still generated over $1.5 million, while Parma Heights’ five cameras, also situated near schools, earned $841,000.
Given that kind of money creation power, it’s surprisingOhioTheir cameras aren’t promoting their own $997 “just copy me!” class on Instagram to instruct other streetlight fixtures on boosting their income.
But not all towns found success. Some cameras barely covered their own costs.electricityHigginsport, with a population of 215, generated approximately $87,000, while Liverpool Township only managed to collect $370 from two tickets, earning the questionable distinction of being Ohio’s least successful speed trap. Meanwhile, a printer remained unused throughout the year, while others were operating at full capacity.