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Monday, August 10, 2009

Law - "Chicago red-light camera company open to two-tiered ticketing: Rolling right turns may net lower fines"

This April 6th ILB entry is the most recent - it is headed "Red light camera bill may have hit a red light."

Today the Chicago Tribune has this long story by Bob Secter that begins:

As a backlash against red light cameras starts to gain steam, a traffic camera firm serving Chicago and several suburbs says it is willing to explore charging a reduced fine to drivers caught making illegal rolling right turns on red.

Australian-owned Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. recently told Naperville officials that it could, if asked, revamp systems so right-turn violators would be billed less than red-light runners who blow straight through intersections, a more dangerous infraction.

That position stands in sharp contrast to one taken last month by Lombard-based RedSpeed-Illinois, the dominant camera firm in the suburbs, which flatly refused to consider a two-tiered fine structure when asked to do so by River Forest, then a prospective customer. The near west suburb wanted to levy a $50 fine on rolling-right-turn violators, half the $100 standard in Illinois for red-light infractions caught on camera.

The inquiries from River Forest and Naperville followed a Tribune series last month that found the vast majority of red-light camera tickets were issued for right-turn-on-red violations, even though traffic-safety experts say such infractions rarely result in serious damage or injury. Underscoring concerns, trustees in Schaumburg voted unanimously last month to yank the town's last traffic camera, which had generated considerable revenue but also riled motorists while failing to produce palpable safety benefits.

More than 70 municipalities around the region have installed cameras in recent years, with backers arguing that they deter accidents. Critics argue that the devices are little more than money machines for camera vendors and cash-strapped municipalities, pointing to the large share of tickets for right-turn-on-red violations as evidence that cameras largely focus on less serious violations.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 10, 2009 10:50 AM
Posted to General Law Related