2 New Speed Cameras

Two new speed camera locations were added today. The maps have been updated.

1. 1142 W Irving Park
2. 536 E Morgan Dr

Speed Camera Locations Now Available

I added the list and maps for the speed camera locations to my website.  You can access it here. 

According to ABC:

Fines for violations are $35 for vehicles travelling 6-10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit while in a safety zone, and $100 for vehicles travelling 11 or more miles over the posted speed limit.

The Children's Safety Zones are designated as within 1/8th of a mile from Chicago parks or schools.

The enforcement hours will be limited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in safety zones around schools on school days Monday through Friday; 7 a.m.-4 p.m.: 20 mph speed limit when children are present; 30 mph speed limit when no children are present; 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.: 30 mph speed limit

The enforcement hours around parks will be limited to only those hours parks are open (typically 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week) with a 30 mph speed limit.

Chicago Speed Cameras Set New Record

According to Huffington Post, the Chicago Speed Cameras have caught more drivers than any other cameras they have.  Luckily the city has delayed the $35 tickets for people going 5-10 miles over the speed limit.  However, you can expect a $100 ticket if you go 11 mph or more over the speed limit.

City to Remove Red Light Cams from 18 Intersections

According to NBC5Chicago, the city is going to remove red light cameras from 18 intersections because of low crash rates.  I'm not sure when the cameras will be removed, so please let me know if you see them come down before my next post so I can update the locations and maps.

The 18 intersections where red light cameras will be removed are:

• Osceola and Touhy Avenues
• Kedzie and Devon Avenues
• Harlem and Higgins Avenues
• Sheridan Road and Hollywood Avenue
• Austin and Belmont Avenues
• Cicero and Belmont Avenues
• Halsted and Belmont Avenues
• California and North Avenues
• Wells and North Avenues
• Kostner Avenue and Division Street
• Clark Street and Cermak Road
• California Avenue and 35th Street
• California Avenue and 47th Street
• Pulaski Road and 71st Street
• Wentworth Avenue and 65th Street
• Racine Avenue and 79th Street
• 79th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue
• Stony Island Avenue and 89th Street

This is as least a small sign of progress in the fight against these revenue generating red light and speed cameras.

Illinois Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Chicago Red Light Camera Case

According to the Expired Meter, the Illinois Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Chicago Red Light Camera Case.  This is a good sign.  Maybe while they are there, they can declare the speed cameras illegal as well.

50 Speed Camera Locations

This website lists all of the 50 speed camera locations.

I especially love the description that they use for the locations.

Map of mayor Rahm Emanuel's auxiliary funding initiative locations.

Emanuel announces 50 speed camera sites

According to The Chicago Tribune, Emanuel announced there will be 50 speed camera sites in the near future.  This is an update from the original 12 locations released earlier.

Voices from The Chicago Sun Times also has a great site that shows all of the speed camera locations.  You can type in your address to see if there are any near you or near your usual driving routes.

I think what makes these cameras so annoying is all the different rules for when tickets will be issued and what the speed limit is during which times.  I would recommend that everyone reach out to their local alderman and encourage them to put signs in place so everyone knows when the speed limit is 20 and when it is 30 and when the speed cameras are turned on.  I know near the middle school that I went to in the suburbs, when the speed limit was 20mph (which was only when school started and ended and not throughout the entire day when kids are supposed to be in school and not crossing the street), there was a speed limit sign that blinked orange so everyone knew to be alert for crossing children and to slow down.

If you want to look up who your alderman is, please click here.

From the Chicago Tribune article:

Each camera will trigger warning tickets during the first 30 days. After that, drivers exceeding the speed limit by 6 to 10 mph will get $35 tickets in the mail. Those exceeding the limit by more than 10 mph will get $100 tickets.

Near parks, the cameras will be active when the parks are open, generally from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. The speed limit near parks is 30 mph.

Near schools, the cameras will be active from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on school days. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., the speed limit in those areas is 20 mph when children are present and 30 mph when they are not. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the limit is 30 mph.

First speed cameras to trigger warnings Monday

According to the Chicago Tribune, the first speed cameras are going to start issuing warnings on Monday.  By the end of the year, they are predicting we will have multiple speed cameras at 50 locations.  There are currently speed cameras at 12 locations throughout the city.

Chicago Speed Camera Operating Hours

The Huffington Post provided some more information today on the hours that the speed cameras will operate.

The speed cameras won't monitor speeds 24 hours a day. CDOT officials say hours will be limited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in safety zones around schools on school days; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. when children are present, the speed limit also drops to 20 mph rather than the posted 30 mph.

The city expects to select 50 locations for camera installation in 2013.

Chicago Speed Cameras Coming Soon

According to the Chicago Tribune, the trial run for Chicago Speed Cameras showed the city is about to rake in alot of money.

New speed cameras will start operating this month at:

1. Gompers Park, 4222 W. Foster Ave.
2. Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave.
3. Marquette Park, 6743 S. Kedzie Ave.
4. Washington Park, 5531 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.

Speed cameras will start operating at these locations starting in September:

1. Legion Park, 3100 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
2. Humboldt Park, 1440 N. Humboldt Dr.
3. Jones High School, 606 S. State St.
4. Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Ave.
5. McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Road
6. Curie High School, 4959 S. Archer Ave.
7. Abbott Park, 49 E. 95th St.
8. Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, 3857 W. 111th St.

Violators will be warned for the first month and then will get a warning ticket after the first violation. After that, anyone caught going 11 mph or more over the limit will get a $100 ticket by mail. Those going 6 to 10 mph over the limit will get a $35 ticket.

I recently got turned on to Waze.  Similar to google maps, it helps you find the best routes based on traffic.  The bonus of Waze is that it will also alert you to red light cameras, speed cameras, police in the area, and accidents.  With the new speed cameras showing up, I recommend that we all start using Waze so we get a warning before approaching one of these intersections.  The city is authorized to place cameras at up to 300 locations so these 12 locations are just the top of the iceberg.

Chicago Speed Camera Installations Start In August

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/19/chicago-speed-camera-inst_n_3624190.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago

They are saying that there could be up to 300 speed camera sites in Chicago by the end of it all.  To put that into perspective, we only have 190 red light camera locations.

Chicago's Top 10 Most Ticketed Red-Light Camera Intersections

Thank you NBC for compiling this from the report in my previous post.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Chicagos-Top-10-Most-Ticketed-Red-Light-Camera-Intersections-207405581.html

1. Cicero and I-55
Number of tickets: 19,805
Value of tickets: $1,980,500

2. Lake Shore Drive and Belmont
Number of tickets: 16,273
Value of tickets: $1,627,300

3. LaFayette and 87th
Number of tickets: 15,226
Value of tickets: $1,522,600

4. Van Buren and Western
Number of tickets: 15,090
Value of tickets: $1,509,000

5. 95th and Stoney Island
Number of tickets: 11,449
Value of tickets: $1,144,900

6. Laramie and Madison
Number of tickets: 11,224
Value of tickets: $1,122,400

7. Stoney Island and 89th
Number of tickets: 9,644
Value of tickets: $964,400

8. State and 79th
Number of tickets: 8,769
Value of tickets: $876,900

9. Pulaski and Peterson
Number of tickets: 8,612
Value of tickets: $861,200

10. Cermak and Clark
Number of tickets: 7,923
Value of tickets: $792,300

Report of the Inspector General's Office - Red-Light Camera Installation Audit

This is a great report that just goes to show that safety isn't the number 1 priority of these red-light cameras.  Sure they couldn't prove that revenue wasn't the main purpose, but they did prove that safety wasn't.

From the letter to City Council:

Our audit’s findings can be summarized in two simple points.

 First, CDOT was unable to substantiate its claims that the City chose to install red-light cameras at intersections with the highest angle crash rates in order to increase safety. Neither do we know, from the information provided by CDOT, why cameras in locations with no recent angle crashes have not been relocated, nor what the City’s rationale is for the continued operation of any individual camera at any individual location.

 Second, our audit uncovered little evidence that the overarching program strategy, guidelines, or appropriate metrics are being used to ensure the RLC program is being executed to the best benefit of the City or the general public. Specifically, we found a lack of basic recordkeeping and an alarming lack of analysis for an ongoing program that costs tens of millions of dollars a year and generates tens of millions more in revenue.

I'll be curious to see how the Chicago Department Of Transportation (CDOT) responds to this audit.

To read the full report, click here or copy and paste the link below into your web browser.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/141433335/Chicago-Inspector-General-s-Office-Red-Light-Camera-Program-Audit

Cameras on School Buses

http://blogs.suntimes.com/politics/2013/04/bus_camera_plan_passes_senate_despite_city_red-light_camera_scandal.html

I guess this doesn't really surprise me, but I wonder how far this city is going to go with these cameras.

First we had red light cameras that give the owner of a car a $100 ticket if the car isn't at least halfway through an intersection when the light turns red (not really what I would call running a red light).

Then they started testing speed cameras that could cover a vast majority of the city that will issue $100 tickets to the owner of a car that is caught going 5mph over the speed limit in "school zones" or "park zones".

Now we are putting cameras on school buses to issue tickets to cars that don't stop when the stop sign is out  as children are entering and exiting the bus.

I wonder why we have police anymore.  If people are actually running red lights, speeding when children are present, or passing buses when the stop sign is out and putting children at risk, those people should get a ticket and it should go on their driving record so if they do it multiple times, their driver's license gets suspended.  You shouldn't just get what is equivalent to a parking ticket (who cares who was actually driving the car) that doesn't go on your record as long as you pay it.  This is all about revenue people.  If it was about safety, we would get more police on the streets, getting reckless drivers off the streets.

Hearings To Put Red Light Cameras Under The Microscope

It looks like the Chicago City Counsel is moving forward with investigating the Chicago Red Light Cameras. The Expired Meter wrote a great post about it.

Please reach out to the Chicago City Counsel to thank them for investigating this and let them know how you feel about the Chicago Red Light cameras.  It would be great if we could get rid of the Chicago Red Light Cameras and the speed cameras.

You can use this City of Chicago website to see the list of Alderman by ward.

If you don't know which ward you are in, you can enter your address into this City of Chicago webapp and it will tell you your ward number.

Thank you Republican Ward Committeeman Scott Davis

If you live in Chicago, I advise you to contact your local representative and encourage them to stand with Scott Davis.  Also please send Scott a thank you email or call.  We need more representatives like Scott.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/124902411/NEWS-RELEASE-Republican-Calls-for-Repeal-of-Chicago-Speed-Camera-Ordinance

Committeeman Scott Davis, Chicago Republican Party
773-857-1424
scott@44thWardRepublicans.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 11, 2013

*** NEWS RELEASE*** ** 

Republican Calls for Repeal of Chicago Speed Camera Ordinance**
Chicago Cams all about Contracts, Corruption and Corporatism… NOT SAFETY!

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Republican Ward Committeeman Scott Davis of Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood is callingon Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago City Council to repeal the Chicago Speed Camera ordinance in light of therecent story of corporate and city corruption that led to the cancelling of the city’s red-light camera contract withAustralian photo enforcement company Redflex.

“The Redflex disaster PROVES these cameras are NOT about safety, they are about revenue for a city struggling to livewithin its means, corporate profits for well-connected vendors and under the table payoffs to corrupt city officials” Davissaid.

“There is still time for the City Council and the Mayor to do the right thing and end this nightmare by repealing the recentordinance to install speed cameras throughout Chicago. These Cameras are unsafe, unwanted and unconstitutional” Davissaid. The Chicago City Council passed the Chicago Speed Camera ordinance on April 18 th , 2012 by a vote of 33-14,despite public opposition to the plan. Alderman Tom Tunney of the 44 th Ward voted YES on the ordinance. Local pollingsince that vote showed that 54% of Chicago residents opposed speed cameras with 69% saying the cameras were aboutmoney, not safety. ( Chicago Tribune| Secter, May 25th, 2012 )

“Chicago’s Red-light Camera story proves that photo enforcement is not about safety it is about hundreds of millions of dollars being picked from the pockets of everyday citizens to line corporate coffers and grease the wheels of corruptionChicago’s machine style political culture is notorious for” Davis said. A recent news story claims the city Inspector General is investigating the payment of $570,000 in sales commissions to a Redflex employee who furnished a cityofficial responsible for managing the contract with lavish gifts, including a ticket to the Super Bowl. (Chicago Tribune|Kidwell, February 8, 2013 )

“Taking $100 bills out of the pockets of poor and middle class residents does not protect children in these difficulteconomic times” Davis said. “That kind of money is food on the table for most families.” The cost of a Red Light Cameraticket is $100. Speed Camera fines will cost $35 for going 6-10 mph over the limit and $100 for exceeding the limit by 11mph or more. (Expired Meter|Brockway, April 11, 2012)

### 

www.44thWardRepublicans.com

Official At Company That Holds Chicago's Red Light Camera Contract Resigns

It just keeps getting better for Redflex.  According to Chicagoist, their chairman who holds the contract to Chicago's traffic camera network resigned.

Welcome to Chicago: Where even the red light cameras are rooted in corruption and the effects are felt halfway across the globe. The Tribune reports the chairman of the Australian parent company that holds the contract to the city’s traffic camera network has resigned amid ongoing investigations into corruption involving the contract.

Maxwell Findlay resigned as chairman of Redflex Holdings Ltd. Feb. 6. Redflex Holdings is the parent company of Redflex Traffic Systems, which had their hold on the red light camera contract extended by six months so Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson could complete his investigation into the company paying a $910 hotel tab for Chicago Department of Transportation official John Bills in 2010 and didn’t report it to the Chicago Board of Ethics until the Tribune first reported it last October. Redflex also awarded a contract to a friend of Bills.

Redflex was considered a favorite to win the contract for the city’s speeding camera program before the news of their relationship with Bills broke. Redflex Holdings also announced for the first time it was cooperating with law enforcement authorities and an internal investigation revealed Redflex Traffic Systems did more than pay a hotel bill for Bills.

The internal probe found that company executives systematically courted former city transportation official John Bills with thousands of dollars in free trips to the Super Bowl and other sporting events, sources familiar with the investigation told the Tribune. The company also hid the extent of the improper relationship from City Hall after the newspaper's reporting last year forced Redflex to partially reveal its ties to Bills, sources said.

The internal probe and a parallel investigation by city Inspector General Joseph Ferguson are also raising more questions about the company's hiring of a longtime Bills friend who received more than $570,000 in company commissions as a customer service representative in Chicago, the sources said.

Bills did not return calls, but has adamantly denied any wrongdoing. "I would never have intentionally accepted a dime from Redflex, I wouldn't do that," he told the Tribune in October.

Redflex Holdings CEO Robert DeVincenzi told the Tribune in a statement he “will do everything in my power to regain the trust of the Chicago community.”News of Finlay’s resignation and the internal investigation led to trading of Redflex’s stock being suspended by the Australian Securities exchange. Ian Davis, another Redflex board member named in the 2010 memo that first detailed the company’s courting of Bills, also resigned.

Hard to Put Red-Light Violations Under a Lens

An interesting article from today's Wall Street Journal, Hard to Put Red-Light Violations Under a Lens.

Nothing new here, some data shows the number of accidents increase at Red Light Camera intersections because of people slamming on the brakes to avoid a ticket, but the cost of those accidents is less than typically accidents resulting from someone running a red light.

Here's a novel idea though, why not lengthen the yellow light time?  As the article states, this lessens the number of people running a red light and gives people more time to brake before the light turns red.  This would reduce red light accidents, but then the city wouldn't be able to generate their millions in revenue from people who do rolling stops when they are turning on red.

Panel OKs red light camera law

It looks like we are stuck with the red light cameras.

The 1st District Appellate Court upheld Chicago's red light camera ordinance Thursday, ruling against a group of residents who claimed the city lacked the authority to enact the law.

http://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/News-Extra/2013/01/lights-012513.aspx

Revoke the Red Light Cameras in Chicago Petition

I heard about this petition on The Expired Meter and thought I would pass it along.  I encourage everyone to sign the petition to Rahm Emanuel to Revoke the Red Light Cameras in Chicago.

http://signon.org/sign/revoke-the-red-light