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March 04, 2008

Update on Red Light Cameras in Chicago

[From More red-light cameras coming to Chicago -- chicagotribune.com]

A very informative article on red-light cameras in Chicago. Here is a summary of many of the facts in the article:

69 intersections with red light cameras in Chicago, resulting in 800,000 tickets over the last four years, the tickets cost $90 each, the city has collected $19.8 million in 2006 and expects to collect $50 million this year. By my calculations, this means over the last four years, violators have paid $72 million in fines.

The city has signed a $52 million contract for 220 more red light cameras by 2012. (Plus there are more red light cameras going up in the suburbs because of a new state law.)

Part of the contract "requires technology that will allow motorists to see evidence of their violation online. Using their computer keyboards to enter a city code, license plate number and citation number, drivers will be able to view 12 seconds of video and still photos that officials expect will show the offending vehicles in the intersection with a visible red light."

I am still curious about the effectiveness of the cameras. A previous story claimed a 70 reduction in accidents, but this article states that early data indicates a 24 percent decline in accidents. Also the article notes that violations have dropped significantly at the sites where red light cameras are located:

On average, the number of red-light violations at camera-equipped spots so far has declined 59 percent, he said. At Halsted and 111th Streets, where the devices have been particularly effective, violations have dropped from 105 a day to 10, Bills said. At Ashland Avenue and 71st Street, the decline has been from 44 to about four, at LaSalle and Kinzie Streets, from 39 to four.

Posted by rshah at March 4, 2008 11:16 AM

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