Red light cameras are controversial, and many believe they are a significant source of income for cities which use them. But, in Pueblo, a program some critics call wasteful may not be working out as expected in one southern Colorado city.

Up until six months ago, accidents caused by drivers who ran the red light outside the Pueblo PC and Mac computer store, on the corner of Prairie and Thatcher, used to be a frequent occurrence. "It was scary to hear a crunch, and then you're running, and grabbing the phone, or trying to call and see what happened," recalls the store's owner Muriel Tincher.

That all changed though, when the city installed red light cameras at the intersection. Since then, there have only been two accidents at the intersection.

Evem though there seems to be a safety improvement, the city is now facing a financial problem with this system. Some people are not paying their photo tickets. "Based on the number of tickets, we're only getting payment on about 80 percent of [them]," says Pueblo City Manager Jerry Pacheco.

This has left the city $20 thousand in the red, which has some people criticizing it on a financial level. Originally the city council bought into the program because the money brought in by the cameras was projected to cover the cost to rent them. Pueblo pays $15 thousand every month to rent three camera systems from American Traffic Solutions (ATS). The cameras cover two intersections in the city. That's $90 thousand dollars to date in rental fees. Currently, the city has only collected about $70 thousand from tickets.

Pacheco says, part of the problem is not every red light photo can be used to issue a ticket; something the city was banking on. It's been discovered that during winter months, snow sometimes covers the markings on the pavement that police use to decide if someone has indeed run the red light. Another winter related issue is snow obscuring the license plate number making it impossible for authorities to positively identify the vehicle running the red light.

Compared to the lower than expected number of tickets issued, the problem of people not paying their ticket is a greater one. Pacheco says, police are taking this very seriously, and talks are already underway to ramp up contacting delinquent drivers in order to bring in the money owed.

This could go as far as the court issuing a summons for the driver to go before a judge. If the driver ignores the summons, a warrant for their arrest can be issued.

Meanwhile, Tincher says she does not care that the city is losing money on the project, "In ways of making this corner safer, to me it's worth it."

However, Pacheco says, he has his own concerns about the cost to taxpayers and the future of the program, "I would certainly want to make sure that, that issue was dealt with before I ever propose to city council expanding the program."

According to Pacheco, one likely way the city could deal with the issue is to work with ATS to adjust how much it is paying to rent the systems.