Red Light Camera Bill Faces Crucial Vote Today
Today’s a big day in Springfield for Illinois Senate Bill 2466.
SB2466 is legislation sponsored by Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington) which would ban all red light and speed cameras statewide (except at railroad crossings and construction zones).
Tuesday, the bill sees a crucial vote in the Transportation Committee to move to the full floor of the Senate.
“This is what we have been waiting for,” said Senator Duffy via his website. “It’s time to end the red light racket in Illinois.”
Supporters and detractors on both sides of the issue have been marshaling their forces to move the bill forward.
Sunday, an anti RLC protest organized by Scott Tucker, Republican nominee for Illinois State Representative in the 11th District, seemed to receive a positive response from drivers. Volunteers handed out fliers urging motorists to call members of the Transportation Committee as well as Senate President John Cullerton.
“SB 2466 will get rid of these red light cameras for good, statewide,” says Tucker. “These cameras aren’t for safety, they’re a tax. “They take hundred dollar bills out of neighborhood businesses all across the state, and that kills jobs.”
Active Transportation Alliance, a group that “works to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit,” according to their website, issued a press release yesterday weighing in as opposed to the red light camera ban.
The group was concerned that in all the public debate on the subject, the issue of safety was being forgotten.
“Nobody was acknowledging it (red light cameras) is a tool for controlling speeding and red light running,” explained Margo O’Hare spokesperson for Active Trans. “Red light cameras are one of many tools for traffic safety. An outright ban or limiting them eliminates one of these tools. To limit red light cameras would be a mistake.”
Pro-motorist organization, the National Motorists Association has been pressing their Illinois members to call their elected representatives as well.
“Having talked to a large number of our Illinois members, I know that there would be one huge statewide party if this legislation were to be enacted,” says NMA spokesperson Gary Biller.
A staffer in Traffic Committee member Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson’s home office revealed that they had been fielding many calls on this issue, but did not reveal wish way the sentiment was trending.
The Transportation Committee vote is scheduled to take place at 4 PM.
Honestly, I think they are a blessing. They are all over the Chicago area, and I can’t believe what a difference they’ve made at some pretty dangerous intersections.
I agree with Margo O’Hare from the Active Trans. Pedestrians and motorists benefit greatly from the cameras. It’s always better to err on the side of public safety.
I’d also be interested in seeing Scott Tucker’s data regarding the fact that “They take hundred dollar bills out of neighborhood businesses all across the state, and that kills jobs.” How is this happening? Are local businesses running the lights? Are local businesses being asked to pay for these lights?
Maybe people don’t want them because they’re getting caught driving like idiots? Just a thought…
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Sure they make things safer, if drivers standing on their brakes to stop at a camera-ed red light from the standard Chicago thoroughfare cruising speed of 45 mph counts as safe. Me, I’d rather have fewer rear-endings from sudden and unnecessary stops. There’s at least a reliable rhythm when there’s no camera. You can tell by speed if a driver’s going to run the orange light. You can’t tell when someone’s going to suddenly see the frakin’ camera and test everyone’s brakes.
[...] For many Illinois drivers, today was an anxious day. [...]
If you’re driving 45 in a 30 zone and you rear end someone breaking for a red light, who’s fault is it? The red lights? The cameras? People seem to like to blame the gubmint for everything, but why don’t they take a little personal responsibility?
I’m all for the red light cameras. I see LOTS of suburbanites (I KNOW they are suburbanites – no city stickers) come whipping through my city neighborhood with total disregard for the people who live and work there. Running stop signs, speeding, and running red lights. They’re dangerous, and they don’t care because, as they see it, city people are just a bunch of welfare-grubbing minorities.
Are the red light cameras a tax? Darn right they are. They are a tax on suburban drivers who disrespect the laws and safety of our great city.
Red light cameras malfunction at times, flashing even when no one is in
the intersection. I’ve seen it a number of times. It is a potential
menace to traffic, taking peoples’ concentration off driving and causes
more accidents than it prevents. Those who are for it are those who
stand to make money off it, namely companies out-of-state. Only a small
portion of the money goes to the local authorities while the company
who installs the cameras makes several hundred dollars from the “infraction.” They have been deemed illegal in several states and I, for
one, will not pay the fine to these scam artists. It’s time they’re
ripped out!
I truly wish the money collected would be used to improve traffic safety and not into some black hole.
The intersections that give the seconds left to cross for pedestrians can be very effectively used by drivers to see if they have a chance to proceed. When these signs flash don’t walk how many pedestrians try to beat them? I am just interested in safety for all, and my $100.00 I would want to go for left turn arrows, or some other safety use for both motorist and pedestrians.
Good. Unless, you put a timer on all red light intersections.
i just notice something else to they not only malfunction but the timer for the yellow light is reduced from 5 seconds to 3 second to increase the chances of tickets and that makes people anxious and pron to have an accident
Whatever happened with this bill? Did it pass? Fail? Delayed? I looked online and there aren’t many answers and no answers on this blog either.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=2466&GAID=10&SessionID=76&LegID=48483
[...] Dan Duffy (R-Barrington Hills), a long time opponent of red light camera enforcement and who sponsored a bill to ban them statewide last year, also vehemently opposed SB [...]
One of the comments I keep hearing is that the red light cameras discriminate against low income drivers. So are they saying low income drivers do not have to follow “rules of the road” like middle and upper income drivers do? Anyone who chooses to break the law, needs to suffer the same consequence, regardless of income.