Chicago 6th Most Ticketed U.S. City
Group Believes Speed Cameras Will Make Ranking Jump
The Second City Is Actually the sixth city.
At least when it comes to speeding and traffic tickets, according to the National Motorists Association, a motorists rights organization.
In the NMA’s recently released bi-annual rankings of America’s top ticketed cities and states, Chicago comes in as the sixth most likeliest city to get a speeding or traffic ticket.
According to the study, Atlanta won the honor of being the nation’s top ticketed city, followed by Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami and New York rounding out the top five.
From a state perspective, Illinois ranks a lowly 18th. Nevada, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Maryland make up the top five states for ticket traps.
The study used an internet methodology utilizing a web-based tool called Google Insights which looks at search term popularity by geographic area and ranking them on a 100 point scale. The NMA used terms like “speeding ticket” and “traffic ticket” to determine their study results.
But considering Chicago is the red light camera capital of the United States, why didn’t Chicago rank higher?
“We didn’t specifically call out red light cameras and speed camera tickets,” explained NMA spokesperson John Bowman. “We just didn’t break it up that specifically.”
However, Bowman thinks Chicago’s rankings may rise when the NMA does their next survey.
The reason? Speed cameras.
With the City of Chicago getting ready to roll out what looks to be a very aggressive network of speed cameras across the city, Bowman believes it will have an impact on their survey.
“I would anticipate with a much higher volume of tickets being generated it will have an affect,” said Bowman when asked about the city’s speed cam program. “It wouldn’t surprise me that speed am tickets would have an impact (on Chicago’s rankings.)”
I have a feeling, but I have my doubts, that if people get too many speed camera tickets, then they’ll finally get pissed and demand that all photo enforcent cameras be turned off. People can only take so much. Personally, I plan to drive with plate covers that read FU RAHM. They’ll be removed when I park or get pulled over. Lol!
Maybe if you didn’t speed, you wouldn’t get a ticket? Nahhhh, that’s too logical to go the speed limit. My bad.
Thank you Jon…that’s the point right there.
On the other side, if the streets in Chicago were set to the Right Speed limits and not just randomly set at oh…25 or 30 mph by the CDOT, then it wouldn’t be as bad.
Jon,
This has already been pointed out, driving 26mph will nab you a ticket.
From the City’s perspective if you are DRIVING, you are speeding. The game is rigged to issue a ticket to anyone who gets in a car.
My guess is you’ll be the first to complain. Good luck you were warned.
Jon, our speed limits are set way too low. I laugh because I always hated red light cameras and my dad laughed and said don’t blow red lights. I’ve only gotten one red light ticket and he’s gotten three. You think he likes camera now? A lot of people are holier than thou, but when they get caught, they change their tune real fast.
Mike wrote:
Our speed limits are set way too low
My comment:
Way too low? What speed would you suggest considering that virtually all streets are a mix of bicycles, pedestrians, buses and cars. With buses constantly stopping and going a “high speed limit” would result in lots of accidents as cars cut around stopped buses. The solution is better timed lights, a ban on left turns across traffic except at those intersections with a turn lane, and pavement that does not force cars to swerve or be damaged.
I can’t wait for Jon to get his first camera ticket. What’s that Jon, you weren’t speeding? Tell it to the judge, who is just a political appointee. You’ll be told to suck it and pay the fine.
David, we seem to disagree on pretty much everything and that’s fine. Have a good time voting for your Chicago political machine candidates (thanks to no term limits), driving a lowly 20 mph on busy streets when they’re open (thanks to Rahm’s speed cameras), smile as you feed the pay boxes (that Daley brought here). Keep voting democrat as the whole state, the county, and the city go to shit. You can quote as much as you want
On another and happier note, some of David’s ideas are valid. Better timed lights and roads without potholes would be nice. Aggressive bikers should also be ticketed I may add. We’ve all seen them speed through stop signs and traffic signals without concern for pedestrians or other cars.
Mike, instead of launching into an irrational diatribe, tell me what speed you think is appropriate and how you handle the fact that buses, which stop, frankly, too often, can be integrated into a 45 mph speed limit Irving Park road (for example) without a high risk of accident. ( is 45 fast enough for you? 65?).
As for ticketing aggressive bicyclists, okay. But only if you also actual enforce thing such as no regular driving in the bike lane, no cutting off of bicyclists at intersections, no opening of doors into the paths of bicyclists. The thing is that not all bicyclists misbehave just as not all drivers misbehave. I am willing to guess that more bicyclists respect stop lights than cars respect speed limits. But somehow bicyclists, who are usually the only ones hurt in a car bicyclle collision, tend to be the “focus” of anger of the overly aggressive drivers that should not have licenses — and from your comments, you might fall in that group.
David, if you think 20 mph is good enough then there’s nothing I can say that will change your mind. I’ve easily done 40 mph down Irving Park and even Western when there’s light traffic or no traffic at all (very late at night or early mornings). Would I ever attempt 40 at 5 pm on a Friday? Definitely not. Also and not related to city streets, 55 mph on the expressways is also too slow WHEN it’s wide open. I’ve traveled to other states that set their expressway limits at 75. In parts of Illinois the limit is 65. Speed limits are a law but most people will agree that 20 mph is very slow. These cameras are a money making tool and have nothing to do about safety and I hope you realize that or just continue drinking the Kool Aid.
Mike Said:
David, if you think 20 mph is good enough then there’s nothing I can say that will change your mind.
My comment:
Nice little strawman there. I’ve never said 20 MPH,particularly on IPR and that’s also not what’s in the Speed Zone law.
Mike wrote:
I’ve easily done 40 mph down Irving Park and even Western when there’s light traffic or no traffic at all (very late at night or early mornings).
My comment:
So it is your position that the speed limit should be set for the highest possible speed that would be safe at the least crowded time of day? Are you suggesting “variable” speed limits? Would you want “slower” limits during bad weather?
Mike said
Would I ever attempt 40 at 5 pm on a Friday? Definitely not. Also and not related to city streets, 55 mph on the expressways is also too slow WHEN it’s wide open. I’ve traveled to other states that set their expressway limits at 75.
My comment:
Sure. But not in the heart of the urban area. Remember, the speed isn’t just the speed the highway can handle, it also is the speed which can be safely handled by the on ramps. If the highway will support 90 in the travel direction, but the on-ramps and exits will only support 45, then the limit has to be 45. And that’s based on a reasonable vehicle, not the little red sports car.
Mike wrote:
In parts of Illinois the limit is 65. Speed limits are a law but most people will agree that 20 mph is very slow.
My comment:
In general, yes it is slow. But not necessarily on side streets or in bad weather etc.
Mike wrote:
These cameras are a money making tool and have nothing to do about safety and I hope you realize that or just continue drinking the Kool Aid.
My comment:
I have never supported speed cameras. I think that they are a bad idea. Personally, I’d put the cops to work to actually catch drivers violating real safety laws (running lights, talking on cell phones, speeding) and give them real tickets and start revoking drivers licenses. Speed cameras (and red light cameras) probably make things less safe as cars race through red light intersections to avoid getting caught and will likely race “between” speed camera zones to “make up” for the lost time. At least that’s what the experience in Montogomery County Maryland suggests. The speed camera violations are from visitors and new drivers.
David, the way you quote is annoying. Next as I stated and you quoted me, I’ve easily done 40 mph…Let’s break that down. The main word in there is easily like as in easy. If I had chosen to, I could have gone faster but it be unwise. I advocate that speed is more determined by traffic conditions than a sign. For instance, the speed limit sign says 55 but in reality we all drive 65 or 70 if it’s open. If its not open we drive 55 or less. I’m glad you’re against photo enforcement means. The new speed limit in school and park zones will be 20. That is fact. Try reading things before giving your opinions. Tickets will be issued for 26, a very low threshold Also, the speed limit is lower in bad weather. I wouldn’t drive 55 in a hail storm or when it’s icy. That law is called too fast for conditions. And I hope you don’t drive much from your expressway and on/off ramp comment. It’s common sense (no law needed here but there are) that when getting on the expressway that you must speed up to expressway speeds and when you exit on the off ramp you slow down to adequate city speeds. That’s a no brainwer.
On another note, I find it odd how you pick my comments to use when other posters say the same thing or very close to it. I assume that you’re an avid bicyclist. Please be careful!
Mike wrote:
David, the way you quote is annoying. Next as I stated and you quoted me, I’ve easily done 40 mph…Let’s break that down. The main word in there is easily like as in easy. If I had chosen to, I could have gone faster but it be unwise. I advocate that speed is more determined by traffic conditions than a sign. For instance, the speed limit sign says 55 but in reality we all drive 65 or 70 if it’s open.
My comment: In other words, the “anarchist/liberterian” approach. Let’s assume for a minute that you are a “perfect driver” and always judge things perfectly. Great. But what about the other “not perfect” driver, the one without experience, or the one who is tired, or “buzzed”, or inattentive? Are you really advocating that they can also “judge” their own speed? Why not make stop signs and traffic lights advisory as well? After all at 3 am in the morning, I could likely drive down Irving Park Road at 90 MPH and ignore the lights and not have an accident.
The reason that we must have limits, is because we live in a society and in a society we must have agreed upon rules. Now many of these rules are “natural” — one doesn’t steal or kill or attack people. But we still have the law. Others are driven by society. We require automobile insurance because it is an inherently dangerous activity with risk of great harm to others. We place speed limits in place. We mark streets as one way. Rules. Because not everyone has perfect judgment.
Mike wrote:
If its not open we drive 55 or less. I’m glad you’re against photo enforcement means. The new speed limit in school and park zones will be 20. That is fact. Try reading things before giving your opinions. Tickets will be issued for 26, a very low threshold
My comment:
Actually the speed limit in school zones during the active time is currently 20 mph. What has changed is the enforcement. And it is limited in time and scope. The question is whether it is going to be applied to the local streets right around schools or is it also going to be applied to the arterials. It may well need to be tweaked. But actually, on side streets, particularly in a city like Chicago with its well set grid system with arterials less than a mile apart in both directions, 20 mph is not unreasonable.
Mike wrote:
Also, the speed limit is lower in bad weather. I wouldn’t drive 55 in a hail storm or when it’s icy. That law is called too fast for conditions.
My comment:
No. The speed “limit” isn’t lower, a different law applies which restricts the speed.
Mike wrote:
And I hope you don’t drive much from your expressway and on/off ramp comment. It’s common sense (no law needed here but there are) that when getting on the expressway that you must speed up to expressway speeds and when you exit on the off ramp you slow down to adequate city speeds. That’s a no brainwer.
My comment:
Sigh. What I said is that the upper limit on the expressway is driven by the exit and on ramps. With short on ramps, such as many on the Kennedy in Chicago proper, the speed limit really can’t go up that much because it is not possible for most cars to accelerate to the speed of the traffic and merge at the higher speed limit. Take the Cumberland exit and entrance ramps outbound.
In contrast, where you have a road designed for high speed (for example the Interstate near Michigan City) you have long entrance and exit ramps that are designed to allow cars to accelerate to speed and merge on to the highway.
Remember, just because YOU can do something, doesn’t mean that everyone can do something and traffic rules, unlike tax laws, are not written for the 1%.
Mike wrote:
On another note, I find it odd how you pick my comments to use when other posters say the same thing or very close to it. I assume that you’re an avid bicyclist. Please be careful!
My comment: I “pick on your comments” because they strike me as being the comments from that guy who is always cutting in and out of traffic and riding on people’s bumpers because they think that they have the reflexes of a fighter pilot and a car that gives them the right to go fast. And often these are the very people that should lose their license. (And often these people think that driving is a right, not a privilege and question why they should even be required to have a license. Do I now bicycle? You bet. And its a lot easier to see the idiocy of the drivers from the bike seat. (Like the Green SUV that cut me off while I was bicycling, in the bike lane, on Lawrence, just past the light that I had stopped and waited for the Green Light, because, well, she wanted to turn in the bank and didn’t see me. Didn’t see me in my bicycle clothing which makes me look like a traffic safety cone…) But I also still drive and have been driving for a long long time.
Plain and simple, traffic enginers will tell you that speed limits should be set so that 80% of drivers are driving at/below the limit in normal traffic conditions. Under that standard, a 20 mile per hour speed limit on the four lane stretches of major arterial streets like Irving Park Road would seem to be much lower than necessary or rational.
I find it interesting David that you are picking and choosing your details. As a teacher I can tell you that the current 20 miles per hour is in effect when children are present, not what they are imposing now which quite frankly includes A LOT of hours when students are not present. Also as a teacher I am very disappointed in the arguments that are being made mostly to cast judgement on someone else. You assume that Mike is a specific type of diver just as others on here are making judgements on others. I think it is safe to assume that you David are neither a perfect driver or biker because that is reality. I can tell you that even my students know better than to make arguments like this without checking their facts and admitting their own faults. This is Intended as a forum opinions not for you to quote and tear down the opinions of others, Ultimately the problem with this city is just this, rather than people sharing information in attempt to be an educated public, we would rather pass judgement on each other. Mno wonder the politicians run rampant.
David, we will agree to disagree. Pedal safely, and I’m glad you obey the laws while on a bicycle or in a car. Many bikers and drivers do not. Believe it or not, I haven’t gotten a ticket in years (speeding, red light, etc). I’m actually a pretty decent driver and I also drive for a living. I’m not too agressive and I definitely don’t tailgate. I hate when drivers do that.
Mike, David and Chicago Teacher,
Just wanted to say, I appreciate the back and forth in the comments. I very much enjoy healthy debate on these types of issues.
Everyone is making decent points and I also appreciate the civility of the arguments.
Thanks guys!