COMMUTING: Cameras Rake in the Cash

The Washington Times reports this morning that the city's speed cameras are bringing in a lot of cash.

From the WT's Tarron Lively:
The District collected $2.3 million in fines from its automated speed cameras in April — the biggest revenue month in the program's 21/2-year history.

But although revenue is up, there are signs that motorists are wising up to the cruiser-mounted cameras that take pictures of license plates as speeders race by. After three months of increases, the number of tickets issued dropped by about 15,000, to 65,077, which is also an indication that the drivers who are being ticketed are paying bigger fines.

The hotspots include zones all in Northeast and Southeast:
The 2800 block of New York Avenue NE, two locations on the Anacostia Parkway, the 100 block of Michigan Avenue NE and the stationary camera in the 500 block of Florida Avenue NE.

I also know of mobile speed cameras positioned sometimes on the Third Street/I-395 tunnel, MacArthur Boulevard and New Mexico Avenue.

So stay alive, drive 25 (unless you're on I-395, where the speed limit is 45 mph.).

UPDATE: 1 p.m. Swamp City links to the WT article on the traffic cameras, but I'd like to clarify something: The list of traffic camera Swamp City links to IS NOT a listing of cameras that will clock speeders. That list is just for stalkers who like to look at random intersections, like New York Avenue and Ninth Street in Northeast, the Key Bridge, or South Capitol and M Street, et cetera, if you so choose.