Paradise Valley’s Photo Radar System
Update: Take a look at the Phoenix Red Light and Speed Cameras Map.
Recently, photo enforcement cameras have become popular with law agencies and have been popping up more and more across the Valley in the past few years. Yet PV has a long history with these automated speed traps.
Paradise Valley was the first town in the country to implement radar cameras in 1987 and back then the fine was only $60 for speeding. Today, Paradise Valley has three stationary cameras, two mobile photo enforcement vans, and the fine is $175.
Kari Jensen, a Paradise Valley resident, says that she has never been ticketed via the cameras, but several of her friends have. “I think they help cities that have them as a way to raise revenue. But as a deterrent to speeding, I don’t think so much,” said Jensen. “We moved to PV in 1991 and I don’t think we were aware of the cameras until they put them on Tatum.”
A photo radar study was completed by the City of Scottsdale to get public opinion of traffic safety issues, as well as people’s opinions about photo radar enforcement. According to a photo radar study, 52 percent of all drivers drive more carefully in Paradise Valley as a result of the radar cameras and their random placement. Of the people who were ticketed in Paradise Valley, 86 percent of them were caught by the cameras.
Ana, a photo enforcement clerk (who asked her full name not be used), says that the cameras are important for traffic safety and keeping drivers alert. “In general I think they do help because people know they could be caught and the cameras could be anywhere,” said Ana. “And I think this is true for any town that has photo enforcement cameras.”
A report completed by the Virginia Transportation Research Council, says that traffic cameras in Paradise Valley have resulted in 19 times more citations than with just police patrol. According to the town’s budget, citations and fines make up eight percent (or $1.7 million) of the town’s total revenue.
As a photo enforcement clerk Ana prints out the citations and sends them to the drivers. She thinks it is important for drivers to know that if the speed limit on the street is 45 mph or higher, photo enforcement will post signs stating that they are in the area. However if the speed limit is less than 40 mph no sign is required by law. She says many people get upset when they get “flashed” by the cameras and there wasn’t a sign notifying them that cameras were in the area.
According to the Virginia Transportation study, Paradise Valley Arizona sets the photo radar units to take a photo when a driver is 11 miles per hour over the speed limit on main streets, three miles per hour over the posted limit in school zones, and eight miles per hour in residential areas.
Story Written By:
Ian Rogers – Student At ASU
Walter Cronkite School Of Journalism