Vail selects a vendor to issue automatic tickets to speeders
Dacra Tech photo enforced radar system will be set up in two locations in town
Ali Longwell/Vail Daily
The Vail Town Council has found a vendor for its automatic speeding-ticket system, which will start sending out $40 tickets later this year to the owners of vehicles clocked at 10 miles per hour over the limit at select locations in town.
Speeders will receive tickets from Illinois-based Dacra Tech, LLC, according to a contract agreement approved Tuesday by the Vail Town Council. Dacra Tech will be sending out those tickets on behalf of the town of Vail, and will collect $12 from every $40 citation issued.
The automated speed zones will be located on South Frontage Road adjacent to Village Center Drive, and North Frontage Road near Zermatt Lane. Vail Police Chief Ryan Kenney on Wednesday said the department is still a few months away from initiating the program.
In a memo to the Town Council issued June 3, the police department told the council the total cost for both systems is $4,000 per month. To cover the monthly system cost, the town would need to issue approximately 143 citations per month.
“Any citations beyond that number would begin to generate net revenue,” wrote Vail Police Operations Commander Christopher Botkins.
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Dacra Tech is a company formed around providing software to municipalities, specializing in what it calls an “all-in-one software platform,” which helps municipalities “streamline and efficiently manage day-to-day processes, including eCitations, adjudication hearings, finance transactions, record keeping, and more.”
In Vail’s case, the town will be using Dacra Tech’s automated speed enforcement system to find speeders and issue tickets.
Dacra Tech says its system has caused a “significant reduction in both the number and severity of road accidents” by slowing down traffic in the areas where those systems operate.
“Unlike manual enforcement, ASE systems provide consistent and unbiased enforcement of speed limits,” the company says. “This consistency helps in maintaining a uniform traffic flow and in conditioning driver behavior over time.”
The Vail Town Council approved the creation of automated ticket zones in April, but had not yet selected a vendor until Tuesday.
Before starting the program, the town will have to put up signage near the enforcement zones warning drivers that they are about to enter an area where they will be on camera. No points will be taken from a motorist’s license if a ticket is issued.
The Vail Police Department says it does not have proper data to speculate how much revenue the program might generate, but expects to have an estimate relatively quickly after instituting the program.
“While we are unable to predict citation volume at this time, the police department will return to council after three months of system operation to provide a performance and financial update,” Botkins wrote.
