Speed Cameras in Chicago

Cyclistas:
 
We need to start a campaign to get Gov. Quinn to sign the law enabling speed-cameras in Chicago.  It's sitting on his desk.
 
His contact-website is:

http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/Pages/ContacttheGovernor.aspx

In the "Citizen Question" frame, just put "Speed Cameras"
 
In the "Citizen Request from just recommend or tell him to sign the legislation.  It has already passed both the House and the Senate and was sent to him for his approval.
 
This has been setting on his desk for some time.  My guess is that he wants to see what the public reaction is, and I suspect the car drivers and their clubs are encouraging him NOT to sign it.
 
You can also contact him at his Springfield office:
Office of the Governor        
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244
TTY: 888-261-3336

or at the Chicago office of the governor:
Office of the Governor
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-2121

There are too many speeding cars in Chicago and we need something to slow them down.

Thanks.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on December 14, 2011 at 4:03pm
Permalink Reply by mike w. on December 14, 2011 at 4:36pm

Speed cameras? Feh! Just a money-making scheme. Won't do a damn thing about the speeders... didn't do jack keeping the speeds down in the tollway construction zones on I-94 a couple of years ago when i was driving it weekly to Milwaukee.

Forget the cameras! We have all too much video surveillance in our life as it is! Put real speed cops out here to enforce the law -that's what they get paid to do. People slow down when they see a squadcar out there.

 

To hell with cameras... hire more traffic cops.

Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on December 14, 2011 at 8:46pm
Just use the cops that are already out there. Most cops will not pull you over for speeding. If Chicago announced thay the speed limit will now be strictly enforced and then enforce it (seems to be the hard part), just about everyone else will fall in line.
Permalink Reply by igz on December 15, 2011 at 4:25am

no money for cops but money for these cameras?

Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on December 15, 2011 at 4:33am

A contract is yet to be negotiated, but in simple terms:  The camera company pays for the cameras and installation and in return gets a piece of the action from the tickets issued.

 

So this costs the city nothing, plus the city makes part of the money from the tickets issued. 

 

Unlike sales tax and property tax (which everybody pays), this only comes from speeders, not everybody.

Permalink Reply by Charlie Short 2.9 on December 15, 2011 at 4:41am

From what I understand, the red-light cameras can also work as speed cameras. A study was done using the existing cameras (there's a lot of them, like 250-300) and the study found that 31% of drivers were speeding through high-crash intersections. I will look for that study and see if I can post a link. Point being, there will be very little camera purchasing when and if this law passes, at least initially.

Permalink Reply by Chris B on December 15, 2011 at 5:34am

I am more for these than for red light cameras. Yellow timing abuse (what I would call abuse) has been pretty well documented since red light cameras give an incentive to cities to make intersections less safe.

But speed cameras, well , the worst incentives they might provide is to make more speed zones to confuse motorists, or to not replace torn down signs quickly, and to not keep the machines calibrated so that they will create false positives (just like police do now with not properly calibrating radar guns, breathalyzers, or even re-testing and certifying drug dogs).

And as far as cameras go. I am still pretty libertarian, but I'm reaching the point where I think cameras are the only thing that will protect me from police or eye witnesses lying or remembering wrong. The more I learn about bias affecting judgement, how horrible eyewitness testimony is, even just memory in general, the more I've come to believe that the less human involvement the better.

However, I've read about successful challenges to these tickets. For instance, sometimes you can take the two pictures it gives you, show that the distance your car travels in the two pics, divided by the timestamps, proves you were traveling slower than it says. Now the camera company tried to defend by saying those are not the proof, the radar is the proof, but judges would rather trust their eyes and the timestamped photos than someone's word that the radar said such and such. So... we still have some ways to go I think, and need to find a way to make sure that the city/police/camera company keeps them in working order. And the only way to do that is to make sure that they are paid for accuracy, not for more tickets. But then that is a problem with the entire criminal justice system and fines we impose. Not only camera companies, but police, prosecutors, and cities all benefit from fines from more criminal convictions, not from more accurate convictions. So it's a bigger problem than just inaccurate cameras.

edit: (OK we need a Chris A to post next! :) )

Permalink Reply by Melanie K on December 15, 2011 at 7:25am

I am all for the speed cameras- even if I end up on the wrong end of one of them once in a while.  Drivers in the city really need to stop using the local thoroughfares as their own personal little speedway shortcuts, racing through traffic, using parking lanes and bike lanes as passing lanes. I had one guy almost rear-end/sideswipe me on the right hand side while I was riding as he decided that Lincoln Avenue was moving too slowly and was using the empty parking lane as his own super speedy passing lane- and he wasn't traveling the speed limit while doing it.  I know that is a different issue, but he was speeding as well as passing illegally. A camera could have caught two violations going on at one time. 

I also believe the cameras can have effectively get people to reduce the speed of their vehicles. For example, there is a stretch of Pratt that leads from Lincoln avenue, to Carpentersville Road and it is a 30 MPH road, no stop signs. There is also a speed control device that displays the speed of vehicles. I would say that 80% of the drivers that go down that road slow down to the speed limit when they see their speed on that display- and they stay at that speed all the way to the next major stoplight. So I do believe the speed cameras might be pretty effective in the long run, especially if there is a place to warn and display speeds of drivers so that they will proactively slow down in those areas.  

Permalink Reply by mike w. on December 15, 2011 at 8:25am

How about this: Teach people how to drive properly and do better and more complete testing before merely bestowing licenses. The current driving tests and qualifications for getting licensed are a sick joke. Make drivers retest every two years- complete courses in competent driving. i guarantee more than half the drivers out there would fail a proper drivers' ed course.

Cameras do nothing to promote reduced speeds,  i saw this for myself in the aforementioned tollway construction zones where there were supposedly speed cameras placed randomly along the road. The average speeds were over 65 in the 45mph construction zones. i also noticed very very few troopers pulling cars over, i would have thought that the $350 minimum fine might have been incentive enough to increase enforcement.

Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on December 15, 2011 at 8:52am

Oh, big brother...

What would be great is if these speed camera's were also able to detect when cars blatantly roll through stop signs in school areas.  I've seen a lot of people not looking both ways and rolling hastily through a stop.  Really dangerous combo.  

It'd also be great if these camera's could tell me which friendly neighbor was not picking up their dogs poop after he dumps in the back yard.  

Permalink Reply by Gail Garcia on December 21, 2011 at 5:47am

Thank you so much for posting this helpful information. I will write a letter right now. Also, do let your alderman know that you support this initiative.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 21, 2011 at 8:41am

Reminds me of a near accident yesterday right in front of our house, where a habitual speeder and stop sign runner (vehicle #1) was flying down the street towards our 4-way stop and had to slam on the brakes when another equally reckless and clueless driver (vehicle #2) blew the stop sign on the cross street doing about 30, right across the path of #1.  I kinda wished they did crash, because I'm sick of those two (and others) flying down these residential streets (where lots of little kids and old people live).  Maybe a crash would have been a wake-up call for the two losers.  But I'm sure I'll see them both speeding and running the 4-way stop again today and tomorrow and the next day.  They won't learn until their actions hurt them - physically and/or financially.

We've been tempted to install our own dog poop cameras, because we're sick of the same problem.  We live on a corner on the way to a park - prime dog walking destination.  Last summer we fenced in large chunk of our side yard, gaining a nice garden space, which was our main goal in the project.  Keeping the dogs out was a bonus.  We love dogs, just not the unwanted smelly gifts and torn up lawn.

BTW, speeders are a big threat to pedestrians going to and from that park at all hours of the day.  I would love to see speed cameras there.

Brendan said:

Oh, big brother...

What would be great is if these speed camera's were also able to detect when cars blatantly roll through stop signs in school areas.  I've seen a lot of people not looking both ways and rolling hastily through a stop.  Really dangerous combo.  

It'd also be great if these camera's could tell me which friendly neighbor was not picking up their dogs poop after he dumps in the back yard.  

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