Arizona Photo Radar
Smile! You May Be on Photo Radar Camera
If you're new to Arizona, you may be surprised to discover Arizona photo radar the hard way - when that camera light flashes and takes a photo of your license plate as you speed past it.
Speeding drivers and red light runners are an all too common sight in Arizona. So, some communities have turned to photo radar to combat the problem. Arizona photo radar is a combination of a camera and speed sensors which simultaneously takes a picture of your license plate while recording your driving speed.  | | Use of photo radar cameras, like this one in Phoenix, is on the increase in Arizona | Speeding motorists activate the Arizona photo radar camera when they drive over the sensors embedded in the roadway. You can see the large, boxy cameras sitting on either the right or left side of the road. Drivers only trigger the cameras if they are exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour. Therefore, if the posted limit is 65 miles per hour, a motorist would have to be driving at least 76 miles per hour - or 11 miles over the posted speed limit - to trigger the cameras. The city of Scottsdale photo radar program is the most developed in Arizona. Scottsdale photo radar includes: - stationary cameras at intersections for red light enforcement and mid-block to target speeders
- four mobile photo speed enforcement vans which are moved around Scottsdale several times each day according to residents’ complaints and trends in speeding and collision data
- photo radar in Scottsdale’s 7.8 mile section of the Loop 101 freeway between Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard.
Current stationary photo radar Scottsdale locations include: - Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard at 77th Street
- Scottsdale Road at Shea Boulevard
- Pima Road at Pinnacle Peak Road
- Hayden Road at Indian School Road.
The Loop 101 freeway cameras are a pilot program by the Arizona Department of Transportation.  | | Photo radar cameras along the Scottsdale section of the Loop 101 freeway | Since their debut in January 2006, the cameras have “caught” more than 124,000 drivers speeding and netted over $3 million for the city and state. Speeding violations can result in fines which average about $157. Exactly where are the cameras? Drivers can find out where the stationary cameras are located and where mobile photo patrols are on a daily basis by checking the city of Scottsdale web site’s
photo radar enforcement page
.
In August 2007, the city of Tucson began a yearlong photo radar test. Their program currently consists of photo radar vans which take pictures of speeders. The Tucson police will place signs near the van warning drivers that they are entering a photo enforcement area. The van will initially be set up in school enforcement zones and in “speeding-prone” areas. They will also be adding red-light-runner camera enforcement. The first red light camera will be installed at the intersection of East Tanque Verde, East Grant and North Kolb roads. The cameras will only take pictures of vehicles that enter the intersection on a red light; not on green or yellow lights. For current photo radar van deployment and a fact sheet on Tucson’s program, see the
Tucson Police Department web site
.
Chandler, a suburb south of Phoenix, has also implemented photo radar. In addition to red light enforcement, Chandler also has "speed on green" cameras along a seven-mile stretch of Arizona Avenue. Drivers can potentially have their photos taken while driving through four major intersections: - Ray Road and Arizona Avenue
- Elliot Avenue and Arizona Avenue
- Warner Road and Arizona Avenue
- Ocotillo Road and Arizona Avenue.
Drivers who travel 11 miles or more over the speed limit will be issued a citation. For a complete list of Chandler photo enforcement locations, see the
city of Chandler web site
.
Other cities which employ stationary Arizona photo radar enforcement cameras or mobile enforcement units for red light violators and/or speeding include:- Avondale
- Mesa
- Paradise Valley
- Phoenix
- Prescott Valley
- Tempe.
Scottsdale is the only city in the United States which employs photo radar on a state freeway. The Arizona state government is considering adding additional cameras in communities which have expressed interest including: In January 2007, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano stated that she wants the Department of Public Safety to deploy Arizona photo radar cameras along other state freeways and roads. However, no specific locations and timelines have yet been announced. It's probably a safe bet that more cameras will be coming to Arizona roadways. The best way you can avoid a photo radar ticket: - Don’t drive 11 or more miles per hour over the speed limit
- Don’t exceed 15 miles per hour in a school zone
- Don’t run red lights.
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