Mayor Arceneaux: Traffic cameras are not a money grab

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—The City of Shreveport has approved a contract to install speed cameras throughout Caddo Parish.

Mayor Tom Arceneaux says this measure is purely constituent driven and twelve sites are under consideration. He says these are areas with some of the worst speeding zones in the city, according to studies by “Blue Line Solutions.”

They say that in some of these locations, as many as 50,000 people are driving 11 mph over the speed limit.

“What we expect is that once the cameras are there, there will be a very high degree of compliance with the speed limit, and therefore, we will issue fewer tickets over time. So, we don’t anticipate that a lot of money or revenue coming in. I’ve been accused of making a money grab. This is not a money grab, we do not expect a lot, long term, we do not expect a lot of revenue because we expect that there will be compliance, which is what we have found in the school zones,” explains Mayor Arceneaux.

He says the city has mostly received complaints about the school zone camera, citing tickets during non-school hours. However, they have not received many complaints about inaccurate cameras.

During his visit to our studio, Mayor Arceneaux also discussed success during the city’s Mardi Gras season, and he says he expects this coming weekend to be successful for the Krewe of Highland and Gemini parades as well.

He also touched on the latest developments on the issue of squatters.

On March 11th, Arceneaux and the city attorney will introduce legislation during a Property Standards Committee meeting to amend the property standards code to give police the authority to move in and remove squatters occupying abandoned buildings.

The legislation will be up for passage on March 25th.