Claire Taylor

ctaylor@theadvertiser.com

Lafayette's contract for red light camera traffic enforcement may be renewed for a year, even as more than $12 million in fines remains uncollected.

If the city-parish council approves it Tuesday, the contract with Redflex Traffic Systems will be extended until June 4, 2017.

When Lafayette Consolidated Government signed a contract with Redflex in June 2007, it was supposed to be a safety measure to deter motorists from speeding and running red lights.

Opponents argue the program is designed to generate money, not make roads safer.

The company installed cameras at select intersections in the city to catch motorists who speed or run red lights. Redflex also uses two camera-equipped vans that are moved to various locations in the city.

Motorists caught speeding or running red lights are mailed a civil citation from Redflex, which splits the money with LCG.

In 2008, LCG received $1.6 million in proceeds from the Redflex program, called SafeLight and SafeSpeed, while Redflex pocketed $1.4 million.

In 2015, LCG received $1 million and Redflex $717,824, according to LCG.

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But some motorists have refused to pay.

More than 211,000 notices remain unpaid, leaving $12.4 million in fines that LCG has not collected.

Several years ago, the city started taking people and businesses to civil court to try to collect those unpaid fines, but stopped almost immediately.

The council meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in city hall, 705 W. University Ave.

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