Red Light Cameras May Soon Issue Parking, Traffic Tickets?
A sign warns drivers of red light cameras at Kedzie & Irving Park
Could red light cameras be used to give out parking tickets, too?
The City of Chicago, while searching for a new vendor to operate its controversial red light camera program, is asking bidders for ideas on how else to use the cameras, including spotting parking violators.
The city insists it’s just asking at this point and has no plans to use the red light cameras to ticket drivers for anything other than running red lights.
But one critic said the aggressiveness of the city’s camera enforcement “makes my hair stand on end.”
“Chicago has to be the most predatory camera city in the country,” said James Walker, executive director of the National Motorists Association Foundation.
Read more at DNA Info Chicago.
Maybe the city should focus instead on not pissing off every citizen in the area, and just reduce all their pay, so we do not have to raise more funds. Oh wait, that would negatively affect them. My bad!
http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/hampstead_trader_claims_traffic_camera_is_killing_business_1_1857823
“This will drive me out of business, kill local trade and drive customers to supermarkets and online shopping. That’s why so many local businesses are closing down. It’s a total nuisance. I’ve already had to shut down once because of traffic cameras.”
It’s only predatory if you’re breaking the law. Don’t part where you’re not supposed to. It it an absolutely foolproof way of avoiding a ticket and fine.
I love to watch Parking Wars and see all the whiners complaining about their tickets. DON’T PARK ILLEGALLY.
Another out of control Mayor who only believes in greenbacks.
I smell a lawsuit and grievance by several city agencies that will win and cost the city huge amounts of money. Plus it would result in a legal excuse to strike by “some” if the cities ticket writing unions.
Considering Rahm just got bitch slapped by the teachers union AND the CPD Sgt’s Union, he doesn’t want to go there if he is half as intelligent as he thinks he is.
Parking wars is at times an amusing show, however the City Council of Chicago had to pass a law to stop another part of the City government from putting no parking signs way up high on the poles to hide them from drivers.
Avoiding parking tickets takes active effort. It means finding a good looking spot and then walking the block reading every sign and if there is -any- doubt finding a new spot. It means getting to the pay box and back before a ticket is written. Anyone who thinks the government is on the up-and-up and does not play the game with this sort of vigor will end up with tickets sooner or later. A sign will be missed, a license plate screw head will hang into a yellow curb zone, something will go wrong.
Now give these folks cameras? That’s not going to turn out well for those with cars within Chicago city limits.
If the city starts using parking cameras then parking in a spot and getting out of the car to figure out if it is perfectly legal and then leaving if there is a question won’t work any more. There are far too many signs placed in places that are hard to see or read while driving down a street. Cameras will issue tickets before someone can even figure out it’s not legal. Because of the day of the week or time of day or whatever….
“This will drive me out of business, kill local trade and drive customers to supermarkets and online shopping. That’s why so many local businesses are closing down. It’s a total nuisance. I’ve already had to shut down once because of traffic cameras.”
That’s probably part of the purpose.