Traffic cameras make big bucks for tiny town

Nearly 1,700 people were the first motorists to be cited in Bluff City, Tenn., since new traffic cameras were installed—more than the population of the East Tennessee burg.
They are accused of speeding through a 1.3-mile stretch of U.S. 11E that is a 45 mph zone.
The citations went out during the first six weeks after the cameras began operating. Although the cameras went online in December, citations were not issued until Jan. 1.
As the city sets out to collect the $150,000 worth of fines and court costs those citations could yield, those caught on camera will get a letter in the mail from an Arizona-based company. It details the ticket and gives them a Web address where they can pay the $90 fine, along with an 800 number for questions.
Bluff City has a population of 1,653 people.
The cameras have drawn interest from more than just those being ticketed. During the same six-week period when the citations were issued, almost a dozen state legislators have sponsored bills in the Tennessee General Assembly designed to do away with the devices or severely limit their use.