As predicted, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn bowed down to Mayor Rahm Emanuel again and signed the state’s latest Illinoisan-unfriendly bill which will hit motorists in their wallets. Quinn signed the controversially-unpopular speed camera law which now allows Emanuel to use red light cameras in the city of Chicago to issue speeding fines as well as the fines for running red lights. The fine for speeding past a speed cam is either $50 or $100 per violation, depending on the speed limit and the speed one travels over the limit.
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According to the Chicago Tribune study, the areas where these cameras will issue tickets are on approximately half of Chicago’s streets.
When Mayor Emanuel first announced and repeatedly discussed his plan for the speed cams, he continually said that it would only be around schools and city parks. He never mentioned that this will cover nearly half the city. Apparently, Governor Quinn doesn’t feel that is excessive either.
The Chicago Tribune also analyzed the federal government’s data on accidents. In conflict with Emanuel’s assertion that safety is needed due to speeding vehicles, the data proves that the speed cams will have little effect on the safety of persons in the safety zones. Of the 251 pedestrian fatalities in Chicago from 2005 to 2009, inclusively – 5 years – less than half of the deaths occurred in Emanuel’s designated safety zones. And of those safety zone fatalities, less than one-fourth of them were caused by speeding vehicles.
Opponents of speed cameras issuing speeding tickets state the obvious which is that Emanuel wants to make easy cash off the citizens of Chicago, Illinois, and visitors from around the county and beyond in the name of safety, just as they have made incredible amounts of money off of the red light cameras at intersections throughout Chicago and other roadways in the state of Illinois.
Emanuel has denied that the request for the speed cameras is about money. Yet, Emanuel has not responded to suggestions of punishing speeders with community service or other punishments proposed which would prove that this law is not about money. He has also not answered requests for trying speed bumps or street closures around schools, as many do in the suburbs to keep the streets around schools safe. After all, if no vehicles are allowed to pass a school during the school day, that would be the ultimate safety for the children.
While Emanuel and Quinn continually use the word ‘safety’ in their comments about the unwanted law, they have totally ignored and refused to discuss any alternatives that would keep the law from making money.
With yet another bowed-down victory for Emanuel from Governor Quinn, Emanuel said:
Today is a good day for Chicago’s children. With the opening of our libraries this afternoon, and Governor Quinn’s signing of the speed camera legislation, our children will be both smarter and safer. I commend Governor Quinn’s signing and the legislature’s bipartisan passing of this legislation.
Therefore, on top of the red-light cameras which net $69 million for Chicago in 2010, the speed cameras will obviously increase that amount – possibly doubling the amount – by having the automated technological equipment issuing $50 tickets to persons speeding 6-to-10 miles per hour over the speed limit and $100 tickets to persons speeding over 11 miles per hour over the limit.
The hours of the speed cams' operation are designed for maximum profit by Chicago, also. The school zone automated cameras will be activated and issuing tickets from 6:00AM to 9:00PM on Fridays and from 6:00AM to 8:30PM on Mondays through Thursdays. Near Chicago parks, the cameras will be issuing tickets from one hour before an individual park opens until one hour after an individual park closes. For most of the large parks, this means that the cameras will be activated at 6:00AM until midnight – basically, all day.
Source: The Chicago Tribune, COMMENTARY
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