BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Well, how does $8.50 sound to you? Satisfied?

I didn’t think so. If you were one of about 500,000 motorists who received tickets at a red light camera location across New Jersey, that’s what you are eligible to get back for your trouble. The ticket costs $85.

A $4.2 million settlement has been proposed to 18 New Jersey towns regarding a class action lawsuit, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia. The proposed deal becomes more ridiculous when you do the math involved with half a million people being involved. When you divide that number up among 500,000, $8.50 is the figure each individual would be getting.

The complaint also argues that officials did not conduct an initial traffic study and failed to inspect the cameras on a regular basis.

Also, traffic safety results have not always been there. NJ.com points out that the first year of the red light program at the intersection of Route 1 with Bakers Basin/Franklin Corner roads in Lawrence saw an increase of rear end crashes to 39 from 30 during the previous year. Total accidents have risen from 38 to 50.

NJ.com also notes that towns with budget issues could be using the cameras as another avenue to generate badly needed revenue.

Another problem with the red light cameras is that some cities feel they cost too much to maintain, and don’t do a good enough job. Law and Daily Life reported that part of the reason the suit came about is because the cameras were erroneously giving tickets to drivers.

American Traffic Solutions, operators of the red light cameras, have agreed to pay the settlement if it is approved, according to njtoday.net. Motorists affected are those who were given tickets before Aug. 1, 2012 in the towns of Brick, Deptford, East Brunswick, East Windsor, Jersey City, Lawrence Township, Linden, Glassboro, Gloucester, Monroe, Palisades Park, Piscataway, Pohatcong, Rahway, Roselle Park, Union Township, Wayne or Woodbridge.