Photo enforcement technology in action

Motorists hate road construction.

Most drivers are ecstatic when roadwork finally comes to end.

Now it seems there’s one more reason to be major construction projects declined on Illinois tollways last year.

Less photo enforcement vans.

In fact, State Police re-deployed the photo enforcement van that patrolled Illinois tollways last year, sending it downstate according to a story a few weeks ago by Chicago Tribune transportation writer Jon Hilkevitch.

Due to the decline in work on the tollways, vans, equipped with photo enforcement technology similar to red light cameras, would be parked in construction work zones and zap drivers with an initial $375 ticket if they sped through while workers were present. Fines can go up depending on the circumstances.

But just because the tollways didn’t have their very own enforcement vehicle, doesn’t mean other area expressways didn’t have enforcement. In fact, two of these state police vans have spent the past construction season ticketing vehicles for speeding in construction work zones all over the Chicagoland area. Most of this kind of enforcement was during night time hours when workers were on the job.

According to the Tribune, this pair of vans ticketed 867 vehicles through the first week in October, versus over 2300 back in 2006.

For all the details read “Speed-enforcement vans detoured off Illinois Tollway,” on the Tribune website.