Opinion: Why Speed Cameras Are A Great Idea
Speed cameras in Chicago are a great idea.
There. I’ve said it.
I think Chicago alderman should vote for the ordinance because a speed camera program can do so much for their career and the city.
Let me explain.
Speed cameras are a great idea if you want to generate revenue. Lot’s of revenue. Millions if not hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue.
When you understand that Chicago’s 191 red light camera locations generated $69 million in 2010, a potential 300 speed camera locations could easily dwarf the nation’s largest RLC program.
Speed cameras are a great idea if you want to increase traffic times. Local spokesperson for the National Motorists Association and traffic safety expert Barnet Fagel believes speed cameras will cause drivers to suddenly slow down through the camera enforced safety zones, but then speed up after leaving the zone causing traffic dislocation and longer commute times.
“Speed cameras will slow traffic flow,” says Fagel. “You think traffic is bad now? Just wait until the speed cameras go in then prepare to be stuck in traffic even longer.”
Speed Cameras are great if you want to anger and frustrate constituents.
Even now, before the ordinance has been voted on, many aldermen are hearing from the residents they serve and generally the public is opposed to speed cams.
Once those first speed cam tickets get issued, aldermen will need to hire a second receptionist just to answer all the calls from people complaining about their $35 or $100 tickets depending on the speed. Having to hire 50 additional ward office receptionists is the type of job creation aldermen can be proud of.
Aldermen who haven’t heard a lot on this issue yet, will certainly get an earful when a speed cam or two come to your ward.
Remember the parking meter lease deal? Some aldermen are still hearing about that fiasco over three years later.
Speed cameras are great if you want to make it look you care about safety.
Of course achieving traffic safety is a multi-faceted endeavor at best. But if you want to make it look like you’re improving safety in order to rationalize raking in desperately needed cash, then speed cameras again, a great idea.
Of course, you don’t have to actually use proven methods of improving safety like speed bumps, engineering studies, crossing guards, educational outreach or really obscure concepts like actually posting speed limit signs or painting crosswalks because this kind of stuff costs money.
You see, the brilliance of speed cameras is they generate revenue.
Speed cameras are a great idea if you want to discourage tourism.
Many suburbanites and out of state visitors will hear of these speed cameras and perhaps not want to risk making their visit or vacation even more expensive than planned. CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein even admitted that 50% of red light camera tickets are generated by unwitting people who live outside Chicago city limits.
Speed cameras are a great idea if aldermen enjoy risking losing their job.
Again, remember the parking meter lease deal. Many aldermen retired before the last election cycle knowing the public backlash at the ballot box would have forced them to retire.
Voters will remember speed cameras at election time.
So good luck alderman! Go ahead and vote yes on speed cameras. It’s a great idea.
But don’t expect your constituents to be happy about it.
Well no kidding people speed in this city.
Every try to drive the actual speed limit on LSD? It’s a great way to get an Audi or a BMW up your tail pipe.
Or on Western or Clark? Great way to start a road rage incident.
People drive faster than the speed limit all over this city and county…And the Cops in this city don’t do a damn thing about it, nor can they if they are not trained on a Radar/Laser Gun.
And expect Traffic to get worse during special events…
There is only one solution to the problem, whenever there is a speed camera everyone has to drive 5mph. Once the traffic backs up to city hall the problem will correct itself. This city never had speed limits off LSD and somehow we survived, I don’t see why we need to pay the highest property tax, sales tax, cigarette tax, city sticker tax, parking meter tax, blind meter maid tax, gas tax, crossed over the line at the stoplight tax, and now drive like a human being tax and still have to drive on the worst roads in the country. City would like to save some $$? I know of more then 50 people making 6 figure incomes that voted on this that we can vacate in the short term.
https://data.cityofchicago.org/Administration-Finance/Current-Employee-Names-Salaries-and-Position-Title/xzkq-xp2w
The special event(s) will be when you can drive down Irving Park and make the green lights all the way from Cicero to Ashland, not anymore; the cameras put an end to that. There has been no mention of proper traffic engineering techniques in these and other discussions. Chicago does not appear to use proper traffic engineering procedures when it posts speed limits, because it’s not profitable. CDOT also refuses to set traffic signal timing using established engineering formulas by avoiding it and opts to use a “one size fits all approach”. Traffic engineering done for safety is not like a pair of socks, if it’s not done right it’s unsafe, but Chicago’s traffic engineering or the apparent lack thereof takes a back seat to revenue flow. If CDOT used the 85th percentile speed, speed cameras would not be profitable and would not be installed. The 85th percentile speed measures free flowing traffic and if 85 percent are proceeding at 38 MPH then the speed limit should be changed to the closest speed in five MPH increments. In this example the speed limit should be 40 MPH. This process exemplifies why motorists exceed the posted speed limit, because it is not a realistic speed limit. Even CDOT’S web site refers to the approach speed rather than the posted speed limit. This is a reflection of recent change in federal regulations. http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/red-light_cameraenforcement.html
Rahm’s friend sure thinks the cameras are a good idea, since he stands to make so much money on them. He and Rahm are probably out at Gibson’s right now celebrating their riches.
I think Machefi may be on to something here.
5 mph at speed camera intersections hmmmmm…..
I think I like it.
Make them prove you were speeding at a hearing. It’s easy to prove a red light violation with video. But speeding? How do we know the camera was calibrated correctly? Who is the witness to attest that you were speeding? Prove it. I think “innocent until PROVEN guilty” is still the law in America, right?
If everyone actually drove well below the under-posted speed limits in zones where the new speed scameras can be used, traffic congestion would get a LOT worse, as Barnet Fagel points out. This is because the posted speed limits are NOT set to maximize safety at the actual 85th percentile speed of free flowing traffic under good conditions, they are maliciously set far below that level by CDOT to increase ticket revenue.
It is a case of reducing safety to get more predatory ticket revenue – both with under posted speed limits and with traffic lights timed with yellows too short for the ACTUAL approach speeds of vehicles. This has nothing to do with improving safety, it reduces safety, but it drastically increases the predatory ticket revenue.
This is also immoral, but it is highly profitable for the corrupt Chicago officials who get to spend the revenue.