People caught by new speed cameras flood US court

Providence, Rhode Island, issued 12,000 speed camera tickets in 33 days. Photo / Twitter 12 WPRI

A Rhode Island court in the US was flooded with people contesting speeding tickets today after a new school zone speed camera programme resulted in 12,000 tickets in 33 days.

WPRI-TV reports that more than 2600 tickets were on the docket at Providence Municipal Court, which most days has about 300.

The courtroom holds 90 people.

A court spokesperson said not everyone is expected to show up, although hundreds of people did.

They filled the waiting areas outside the courtroom at the Providence Public Safety Complex and snaked out the door and around the building to get into court.

Municipal Court Judge Frank Caprio, who presided over a morning session, dismissed many of the tickets because of errors, according to the Providence Journal.

The errors with the speeding tickets included different notices with conflicting information, such as one notice saying the posted speed limit was 30m/h (50km/h) and another saying it was 20m/h (30 km/h).

"The city has to get it right the first time," Caprio said.

The station reported last week that the city issued 12,193 tickets between January 16 and February 22 from five new speed cameras.

The tickets cost US$95 each and can be issued when a vehicle is caught travelling at least 17km/h over the posted speed limit at certain times.

State Representative Anthony Giarrusso introduced a bill last week that would end the use of traffic cameras in Rhode Island. It's unclear whether Giarrusso, a Republican, will have any success in the Democratic-controlled legislature. He said the camera systems are "nothing more than a government cash grab."

A busy day at Providence Municipal Court as people challenge tickets they received from the city’s new speed cameras. Live reports this morning, noon and throughout the day @wpri12 pic.twitter.com/W3vzn9f8wj

— WPRI 12 (@wpri12) March 5, 2018

-AP