Response from my State Representative about Speed Cameras

I received the email below today from my IL State Representative. My plea to vote no on this bill didn't work, but it sounds like we might still have a chance to convince the Governor not to sign this bill.

Thank you for contacting me about Senate Bill 965 that would allow red light cameras in Chicago to document and ticket speeding violations under certain circumstances.

The cameras operating in school zones could only be active between 6:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday. The cameras operating in park district zones could only be active from one hour before park opening to one hour after park close.

Speeding violations between 6 and 10 miles per hour over the speed limit would be subject to a $50 fine and speeding violations more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit would be subject to a $100 fine.

Lake Shore Drive and highways with 8 or more lanes are excluded from this bill.

The city is required to post signs giving at least 30 days’ notice before issuing citations. As with the red light cameras, all citations must be reviewed and approved by a technician before issuance. The revenue generated from the tickets would be used for school safety and school transportation. Some of the funds would also be earmarked for after-school programs.

As of today, Senate Bill 965 has not been sent to the Governor who has yet to indicate whether or not he supports the bill. Should he choose to sign it, the bill would become effective on July 1, 2012.

Illinois House approves school zone speeding cameras

I found this article on WGN's website. Hopefully they will make this about safety around schools and not just about generating revenue.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— Chicago will be allowed to use its red-light cameras to catch speeders in school zones and near city parks.

The Illinois House of Representatives approved the speed cameras Thursday and sent the bill back to the senate for minor changes.

The school cameras will operate only on school days. Cameras near city parks would turn on one hour before the parks open, and turn off an hour after they close.

If a camera catches you driving 6 miles per hour over the speed limit, you'll get a $50 ticket; if you exceed the speed limit by 11 miles per hour or more, the ticket will rise to $100.

Governor Pat Quinn says he wants to take a look at the bill. He hasn't given any indication he might veto it.

Would speed cameras really save lives?

According to an article in the Chicago Tribune today, the answer is only 4. 

Rahm Emanuel likes to say that his "goal is only one thing, the safety of our kids", but when the Tribune looks at the numbers, his plan would only have saved 4 children's lives.  Here's how the numbers play out.

Total pedestrian deaths, 2005-2009
251

Of those:  Deaths in proposed 'safety zone'
118

Of those:  Deaths involving speeding
26

Of those:  Deaths in which the victim was a child
4

So although everyone wants to increased safety for our kids in Chicago, this doesn't seem to make a huge dent in that.  One thing that Rahm fails to mention is the revenue that these cameras will generate for our cash strapped city.  According to the article, red light cameras generated $69 million for Chicago in 2010, that was up more than $10 million from the previous year.

My concern isn't that I will get caught speeding in the city, it is the fairness of these cameras.  I saw first hand how unforgiving these cameras could be when I received my first (and hopefully last) red light ticket for not making a complete stop before turning right on red.  I went before the judge and after viewing the video, she said this is the closest I've seen, but technically you didn't make a complete stop and I was slapped with a $100 fine.  If a Chicago Police Officer was behind me, he wouldn't have pulled me over for such a thing.  That to me is about revenue generating and not public safety.  I created this blog shortly thereafter to warn others about these cameras.

All these red light cameras do is back up traffic for people who are cautious and don't want to get a ticket so they slow down and then speed through and one car gets through an intersection that normally 3 or 4 cars could've went through safely on a green light.  OR people slam on their brakes and almost get rear-ended so they don't get a ticket.  This is not my idea of public safety.  We have already heard about the ways these red light camera companies are about generating revenue and are tying the hands of our city officials who try to minimize accidents by making sure that yellow lights meet the 3 second rule before turning red.

My fear is that these speed cameras (which with this law could cover nearly half the city) are going to clock you going 1 mph over the speed limit and issue you a $100 fine.  To me that isn't about safety, that's about revenue.

If you want to lower pedestrian deaths from vehicles in Chicago, how about enforcing the laws that say pedestrians need to cross at cross walks and no jaywalking.  Or how about issuing fines to pedestrians who cross the street without looking both ways.  These same pedestrians are probably listening to their iPOD and can't hear a horn honk or they are texting and not looking up at all.  That is the real problem with public safety.  Sure drivers need to be more careful, but pedestrians and parents of small children need to make sure that all parties are being responsible.  That is the true way to reduce deaths.  Sure it isn't a fancy decision and it won't generate revenue, but it will save lives. 

OR if you want to help the city out and lower unemployment, why don't we hire more police officers and have them enforce these rules.  I'd like the police to issue tickets to those people who drive recklessly.  You know the ones that go into the right hand lane (that is ending soon) so when the light turns green, they can slam on the gas and cut everybody off.  To me that is more of a driving hazard than speeding or being in the middle of the intersection when the light turns red. 

If you agree, I encourage you to write your IL State Representative and encourage them to vote against this bill.  They could vote on it as early as this week.  You can find out who your state representative is here.

Illinois Official Search

Use this website to find out who is representing you in the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives.

http://www.elections.illinois.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

Reach out to your IL Representative and Senator to express your concerns.

Study Warns of Speed Camera Contract Traps

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's red-light speeding camera concept is moving forward. But a report from the Illinois PIRG warns lawmakers to slow down.

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday approved Emanuel's idea to outfit existing red-light cameras in Chicago with speed sensors at intersections near schools and parks. The proposal meant to curb accidents passed 32-24 and now moves to the House.

But an Illinois PIRG report says outsourced speeding enforcement such as the one being considered may not have the public's interests at heart.

"Nationally, automated traffic ticketing tends to be governed by contracts that focus more on profits than safety,” said Celeste Meiffren, Illinois PIRG field director. “That shouldn’t happen.”

The report says contracts between private camera vendors and other municipalities include payment incentives, and others have ticket quotas with potential penalties for cities that don't approve enough tickets.

Meiffren said Illinois and Chicago have implemented protections for the public in these contracts. Still, as the expanded bill is considered, she said the city should be aware of pitfalls that could undermine local officials’ authority.

“Our report found that too many cities wrongly sign away power to ensure the safety of citizens on the roads when they privatize traffic law enforcement," Meiffren said.

She points out Redflex Traffic Systems, the company Chicago has a contract with for 380 red-light cameras, used more than 100 lobbyists to secure contracts in 18 different states, including Illinois.

The report suggests cities avoid incentives for vendors based on volume of tickets, retain public control of traffic policy and put public safety first in the decision.

Emanuel has said this bill is all about public safety. In a Wednesday statement, his office called the Senate vote a "victory for Chicago and Chicago's families."

"It's all about safety and protecting our children and providing safe zones and safe havens for our children," said Ald. Michelle Harris (8th).

BY Lisa Balde // Thursday, Oct 27, 2011 at 12:35 CDT

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Study-Warns-Against-Speed-Camers-132709143.html

PIRG - New Report Outlines Problems with Red-Light and Speed Cameras

News Release from 10/27/11

First Nationwide Study Finds 1-in-5 Americans Live Where Traffic Cameras Used; Recommends Ten Safeguards to Protect Municipalities and Drivers

A new research report released today outlines problems with the growing trend among cities to outsource traffic enforcement to red-light and speed camera vendors.

“Too many cities wrongly sign away power to ensure the safety of citizens on the roads when they privatize traffic law enforcement. Automated traffic ticketing tends to be governed by contracts that focus more on profits than safety.” said Phineas Baxandall Ph.D., the Senior Analyst for Tax and Budget Policy at the Public Interest Research Group and a co-author of the report. “That shouldn’t happen,” Baxandall added.

The report, titled Caution: Red Light Cameras Ahead; The Risks of Privatizing Traffic Law Enforcement and How to Protect the Public finds that approximately half of states enable the use of automated traffic law enforcement. Municipalities in these states contract with private companies to operate cameras and issue citations to drivers. Citizens often object to privatized forms of traffic enforcement and many municipalities have found themselves in legal trouble when they attempt to change or update these contracts. Traffic engineering alternatives, such as lengthening yellow lights, are often the best way to reduce injuries from red-light running. However, those solutions often get ignored because of the focus on increasing revenue from tickets.

The nationwide policy study finds that 1-in-5 Americans live in jurisdictions with traffic camera ticketing contracts. It describes which kind of contracts are most problematic for the public: those that create a direct financial incentive to issue more tickets and create penalties that limit the public’s ability to lengthen yellow light intervals or other alternative ways to promote traffic safety.

California is one state that has seen over a hundred cities contracting for automated traffic enforcement and often running into lawsuits and other scandals. According to a statement by California state senator Joe Simitian in reaction to the report, “I believe traffic tickets should be only issued to improve public safety, not to raise revenue. Regrettably, that’s not what happens in some jurisdictions. In too many cases, issues of accuracy, privacy, and due process are taking a back seat to the profit motive. I think we can keep folks safe and still give the driving public a fair shake.”

According to Gary Biller, the Executive Director of the National Motorists Association, “This report is a must-read for city administrators in municipalities considering the addition of red light cameras, for authorities in communities that already have ticket cameras, and for motorists who are subjected to the privatized, for-profit automated traffic enforcement scheme known as red light cameras.”

The report recommends stronger guidelines to ensure that automated traffic enforcement programs focus on improving road safety, rather than ticket revenue. Deals between local governments and traffic camera vendors should:

• Put public safety first in decisions regarding enforcement of traffic laws – this includes evaluating privatized law enforcement camera systems against alternative options without regard to potential revenues.

• Ensure that contract language is free from potential conflicts of interest.

• Avoid direct or indirect incentives for vendors that are based on the volume of tickets or fines.

• Retain public control over traffic policy and engineering decisions, including cancelling contracts if the public is dissatisfied.

• Ensure that the process of contracting with vendors is completely open, with ample opportunity for public participation and each ticket listing where to find online data about automated ticketing for each intersection.

“Some states have a real mess with their red-light camera programs. Other states are now wading into the waters. We’d like to see states that already have camera programs reform them and states considering programs learn from the mistakes of others,” said Ryan Pierannunzi, an associate with U.S. PIRG.

The report can be accessed at this link: http://www.uspirg.org/trafficcamreport