Chicago Speed Camera Program Comes Up For Bid
While Illinois’ speed camera enforcement law doesn’t go into effect until July 1st, the City of Chicago has begun the process of seeking bids for their budding speed cam program.
On Friday, Chicago’s Department of Procurement released the documentation for the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the city’s automated speed enforcement program.
The winning bidder would get an initial five year contract with the possibility of three 2-year contract extensions. The contract would provide the winning company a minimum of 25 and maximum of 300 speed camera locations, with no more than 50 speed cams installed in the first year of the program.
After initially reviewing the city’s red light camera program and implying how successful the program has been in allegedly reducing crashes and traffic deaths, the 169 page document goes into a great deal of detail in what will be required by the winning vendor.
The city is seeking bids for both an equipment lease type deal versus a scenario where the city purchases the hardware outright like they did with Chicago’s red light camera enforcement program.
While the specifications asked for by potential vendors in the RFP are identical to a red light camera system, some of the more interesting aspects of the RFP include the request for both fixed and mobile speed camera hardware and the ability for the cameras to detect and identify child pedestrians in school speed zones where the speed limit automatically drop to 20 mph “when children are present.”
The speed camera RFP also gives the city the right to invite “one or more Respondents to participate in site visits/oral presentations and a pilot test.”
According to the document, the could request vendors on their “short list” to provide and temporarily install up to two speed cameras for testing so the Chicago Department of Transportation could see how well vendors’ equipment performs over the course of 30 days, at no cost to the city.
The final bid proposal by interested camera enforcement companies is due on August 8th and the first speed cameras could be installed and operational (issuing warning citations) in the last quarter of 2012.
The first violations, according to previous statements by CDOT officials, would probably not be issued until early 2013.
“According to the document, the could request vendors on their “short list” to provide and temporarily install up to two speed cameras for testing so the Chicago Department of Transportation could see how well vendors’ equipment performs over the course of 30 days, at no cost to the city.”
This is consistent with testimony from CDOT commissioner Gabe Klein regarding finding the best technology from vendors.
Does anyone care to bet against Redflex getting the final multi-million dollar contract, given the one-hand-washes-the-other collusion between Mayor Emanuel and Mr. Goldner to get the Mayor elected and this money grab camera system approved by the state?
A BIG stream of Illinois dollars will be on the way to Arizona leaving the Illinois economy permanently, with a chunk of that stream going on to Australia and leaving the whole US economy permanently.
Thanks Mayor Emanuel, Mr. Goldner, most Aldermen, and Governor Quinn for your various parts in establishing this corrupt money grab scam that will NOT improve safety, and may well damage safety.
James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, Ann Arbor, MI (frequent visitor to Chicagoland)
I hope lawsuits are pending to stop these cameras from coming. Other places are turning off their cameras and ending their programs but we keep adding more. One day, our politicians will learn the hard way. We can’t have theses things forever.
Since so many of the Aldermen went along with the Mayor to pass this total money-grab program, the only real solution is to vote out the Mayor and every single Alderman who supported the cameras. Replace them with officials who believe in correct traffic safety engineering, NOT in predatory camera enforcement.
A new set of morally-motivated officials who put safety first ahead of predatory ticket revenue would then end the red light camera program as well as the speed camera program. The engineering of speed limits and traffic lights would be totally overhauled and reset to maximize safety, not as today to maximize camera ticket revenue.
Jimmy….
That isn’t going to happen in this city because the Dead vote and Illegals can vote. And this is Chicago…I don’t believe there is such a thing as a Morally Motivated Politician in this City/County or State.
They all want what they want and expect to be treated special.
DoR,
Can we please dispense with the dead and illegal thing. If more than 24% of Chicagoans would bother to vote maybe we could throw the bums out.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/03/20/voter-turnout-extremely-low-for-illinois-primary/