Safety Plan or Cash Grab? Hundreds of Speeding Cameras Could be Coming

By Dan Lambert

Although Lincoln Square doesn't have the lucky distinction of being one the first locations in Chicago to be awarded a shiny new speeding camera, it may not be devoid of one for long.

A dozen cameras are coming to neighborhoods including Humboldt Park, Douglas Park, Garfield Park, Gompers Park, Marquette Park, and others—likely by autumn.
The cameras are part of an initiative dubbed the "Children’s Safety Zone Program" and a total of 50 locations will be chosen by the end of 2013. 

But, the city has the potential to install 300 cameras in total, according to a Chicago news release.

"[The program] protects children and other pedestrians by reminding motorists to slow down and obey speed laws—particularly in school and park zones,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein in a news release. 

The logistics of the program work like this: 

• Enforcement hours are limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in safety zones around schools on school days (Monday through Friday).

• From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.—20 mph speed limit when children are present; a 30 mph speed limit when no children were present. 

• From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.—30 mph speed limit.

• Enforcement hours for cameras around parks are generally from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week and with a speed limit of 30 mph.

In terms of fines, for the camera's first 30 days only warnings will be issued to motorists. The first violation will also be just a warning. For your second or subsequent violations, fines look like this:

• $35 for vehicles traveling 6 to 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit while in a safety zone

• $100 for vehicles traveling 11 or more miles over the posted speed limit  

The entire program is a five-year contract at a cost of $67 million to install the cameras and while Mayor Rahm Emanuel has maintained that the program is simply about safety, the city could potentially make millions of of tickets, the Chicago Tribune reports. 

In the details of the program released by the city, the funding could be used for a wide variety of projects. Some like crossing guards, after-school programs and more police officers around schools seem to fit in with the "for the kids" bent of the camera initiative. Others, like traffic safety improvements and signage are a bit more open-ended. 

Another layer of the program is the locations of the cameras. Emanuel says the program is aimed to protect children and is not just a revenue generating effort. 

However, as the Tribune points out the ordinance limiting cameras to within one-eighth of a mile from schools or parks, yet that wording allows cameras in about half of the city. 

During a pilot test of the cameras, about 10 percent of all passing cars could have been cited for speeding. It has been predicted that the potential 300 speeding cameras could bring in hundreds of millions in revenue. 

If this new program reminds you of the Redflex efforts, you can read about the issues that arose around that in this Tribune investigation.