A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit claiming that 18 Washington cities, including Auburn, have been charging too much for red-light violations caught on camera.
According to The Olympian, U.S. District Court Judge John C. Coughenour issued the order of dismissal Tuesday in Seattle, closing a case in which more than 40 drivers claimed that fines issued from red-light and speed-zone cameras exceeded the amount that state law intended.
Cougehhour ruled instead that the fines can equal the cost of the most expensive parking violations, including parking in a a tow-away or a handicapped zone.
The cities said that when state lawmakers voted in 2005 to allow automated traffic cameras, they meant for the tickets to equal the amount of a typical parking ticket – roughly $20. The cities named in the lawsuit charge between $101 and $124.
“The Court agrees that the Code grants municipalities flexibility in determining fine levels, and that the fines are not excessive,” Coughenour wrote.
Cities named in the lawsuit were Auburn, Bellevue, Bonney Lake, Bremerton, Burien, Federal Way, Fife, Issaquah, Lacey, Lake Forest Park, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Puyallup, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma.
Camera system operators Red Flex Traffic Systems Inc. and American Traffic Systems Inc. also were defendants.
