The city of Albany, New York, voted to implement automatic speed cameras in its school zones. After a grace period, the system began mailing tickets to October. It’s already collected $3.24 million. But only a fraction of this goes back to the city of Albany.

Automatic cameras that detect a vehicle’s speed, read its license plate, and mail the owner a ticket are an increasingly popular technology. Their implementation is dividing towns. But the city of Albany decided that school zones were one place where any technology that might slow drivers down was welcome.

At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, Albany rolled out all-new speed cameras in its school zones. The system enforces the limit on school days, between 7 AM and 6 PM. School zones have a 20 mph limit, but drivers had to be moving 30 mph to find a ticket in their mail.

The system already clocked one driver tearing through at 75 mph. That driver received one of the 107,000 tickets issued. Seventy percent of the speeders were from out of town. Only 71,000 of them have paid up.

If each ticket is truly $50, I calculate that the system has issued $5,350,000 in tickets. And if 71,000 drivers have paid up, it’s collected $3,550,000. Albany’s channel 13 news reported “Albany school zone speeding leads to $3 million in issued tickets” and cited the exact amount of tickets issued as $3.24. I’m not entirely sure where those numbers come from. But either way, only a fraction of the money collected is directly benefiting Albany residents by going back into the city budget.

A private company keeping most of the speed camera ticket money

The city is only getting 40% of the money collected. The company that builds the cameras is claiming 60%. That’s a hefty fee for the camera rental.

Last fall, Channel 13 reported that the speed limit in school zones was 30 mph, and the city dropped it to 25 mph when it installed the cameras. But that must have been a typo, because the signs all say 20 mph. The lower speed limit at the same time as the zero-tolerance cameras might have some residents a bit frustrated. They wouldn’t be alone.

Virginia state legislatures voted to allow speed cameras in 2020. After feedback from constituents, the state government is now voting on strict regulations around these cameras. Lawmakers have even slammed them as a “policing for profit scheme.”