The red light camera and speed camera program in Charlotte, North Carolina has come to an official end. The city agreed this week to pay $490,090 to get out of its contract with ticket vendor Traffipax.

The city had suspended issuing tickets from its camera program last May after the state Court of Appeals ruled that photo enforcement fines must be paid to the public school system under a state constitutional provision. Charlotte officials have lost hope that the state supreme court would save the program. Under the contract, Charlotte continued to pay $10,000 a month to the vendor.

"Rather than the city pay money for a suspended program, we decided to terminate the contract," Assistant City Manager Keith Parker told the Charlotte News Channel.

The city still owes $4.6 million to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools because of the court ruling.