Monday, December 10, 2007

Chicago's Red Light Cameras

Since my original post, I've done some research. It turns out someone is already making a map of all of the red light intersections in Chicago (and other cities). However, their list has duplicates. But if you live in a city other than Chicago, this is a great list to start out with.


Thanks to MJ, I found that the City of Chicago website lists all of the intersections with Red Light Cameras.

I got the list and mapped all 59 locations of Chicago's Red Light Cameras. Let me know what you think.

I was happy to see that I only pass one red light intersection on my way to the train station every morning.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Chicago Red Light Cameras

I have had this on my mind for a while now, but I didn't take the time to write about it.

Chicago Red Light Cameras

WTF!!!!!!

This would be a great idea if made the streets of Chicago safer. Instead it is nothing more than a revenue generator. You know, I used to like Daley (before I knew anything about him or what he does), but now that he has raised my property taxes and wants to raise the amount of these tickets (it is already $90), I've had a change of heart.

I got a ticket in the mail a couple of months ago for the intersection of Foster and Western in Chicago. Be careful, there is a camera at this intersection. From the pictures, it was obvious to me that I made a right turn on red. I am usually very cognizant of the No Turn on Red signs so after I got the ticket, I went to the intersection to see if there was a sign there. No signs so I took pictures and was ready to take this ticket to court.

At the hearing, the judge reviewed the case and asked me why I was disputing it. When I told her that I made a turn on red and that wasn't prohibited there and I wasn't sure why I got the ticket. She said that the no turn on red wasn't the issue and asked me how long I was at the light. How in the hell am I suppose to remember was the first response that jumped into my head, but did I was addressing "your honor", I said well from the pictures it looks like I had to wait for a truck in oncoming traffic to complete their left hand turn and then when the intersection was clear, I made the right turn. To that she replied, how long do you think you were there. So I said a couple of seconds. What I didn't know is that along with the pictures that I got in the mail, there is video. So she reviewed the video and then said oh you are so close. This is the closest that I've seen, but technically you didn't make a complete stop and you rolled. She asked if I would like to see the video and I said I sure would and sure enough, I was the closest thing to a stop that you can do, but technically wasn't stopped long enough and was guilty of the $90 ticket. What got me is that she said this is the closest I've seen, but sorry. She also told me there was a guy who did make a complete stop but it was over the white line so he was guilty as well. To that I say WTF? If there was a cop sitting right behind me, he wouldn't have given me a ticket for that. But she did make me feel better when she said this doesn't go on your record as a moving violation. That made me happy because I don't have any moving violations or any violations on my record, but then it just pissed me off. If I did go through a red light, that is a moving violation. The fact that they don't see it that way, just exposes it as a revenue generator.

So I paid the damn ticket, but I vowed to decrease the revenue potential of the city by publishing a website that lists all of the intersections with red light cameras in the city. That way you can blow through all the red lights that you want so long as they aren't at these intersections.

So I'm asking that anyone who has ever gotten a red light ticket to post the intersection in the comments. I will put up a separate website and even map them out so we know which roads to avoid.

I have seen one at the intersection of Peterson and Western and I got a ticket from one on Western and Foster. What about you?

Check it out.