The cost for the new camera system is roughly the same as for the old. Adams watches the video images from his office at Lynnwood City Hall. The north wall of his office is covered in monitors. The cameras mounted along Highway 99 belong to the state Department of Transportation, but Adams watches their footage as well. Every weekday, Adams keeps an eye on all four monitors to make sure that cars and buses are moving smoothly, especially since 60 percent of all Community Transit buses come through Lynnwood.
Some cameras record a digital image.
It's stored for two weeks before being overdubbed by a new set of images. As for the fear of being spied on, the cameras are only for traffic control, Adams said. You can't see license plates or the people inside the vehicles. When citizens ask about that, we invite them to come here and take a look for themselves. Loops are going the way of the typewriter and the slide rule, he said.