Dozens of red-light camera towns may now have to refund tens of thousands of dollars in fines to motorists who have aleady paid their red-light camera tickets.
From the Courier Post On-line:
A June 26 letter to municipal courts from Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the courts, said local courts should put cases on hold when a defendant wants to contest a summons that resulted from a red-light camera at one of 63 intersections in 19 municipalities. The DOT halted the program last month.
Grant also advised courts to put pending red-light camera cases scheduled for hearings on hold.
Grant’s letter also gives a second chance to drivers who have received a red-light camera summons and either paid the fine or have been to court. His directive allows them to ask to reopen the case, if the summons was issued at one of the 63 intersections under review.
Cases will be considered on hold until the municipality submits new studies to the DOT calculating how long the yellow light should be at traffic signals, according to a formula in the law.
“The defendant can file with the court to reopen the matter,” said state judiciary spokeswoman Tamara Kendig. “They’ll reopen the case and leave it in the ‘held’ state until the town comes back with their (RLC) certification.”
Brick resident Eddie Murphy received two summonses from a red-light camera at Chambers Bridge Road and Route 70, costing him $170. He plans to ask the court to reopen the case because he contends the yellow-light time was too short.
“I think it’s an excellent idea. If I can get back the $170, I’d like to do that,” said Murphy, a township resident for 20 years. “The yellow lights should be looked at very carefully, especially the ones in Brick.”
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Solution?…… Just call them “red-light taxes”!
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