On September 30, San Juan Capistrano's contract for red light cameras expires. It will not be renewed. The City Council recently voted not to continue their contract with American Traffic Systems due to a fall in revenue that the cameras once generated.

The city's chief financial officer reported that to issue the tickets, it costs the city $170,000 a year and generates $240,000 from fines. That revenue is down from the annual $400,000 it once generated.

Chief of Police Lt. John Meyer said the fall in revenue is due primarily to the public having better driving habits and being familiar with the system and location of the cameras. Meyer also stated that 25-30 percent of a single deputy's time can be spent reviewing the violations and matching the picture of the driver in the car to the license picture on file with the DMV, and this takes away from field time and other public safety issues.

If you receive a red light camera ticket in Bakersfield, it is possible to successfully challenge the ticket and win, but you need an experienced traffic attorney to help.