Speed Cameras Coming Despite Red Light Snafu

Speed cameras may still be implemented Chicago-wide, even though there’s a federal bribery investigation on a former city employee who worked for an organization that lobbied for them in Illinois, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he doesn’t think the speed camera program should come to an end, saying the issue with the red-light camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. is “totally unrelated,” writes the Tribune.

Former Managing Deputy Commissioner of Transportation John Bills is under investigation for a suspected $2 million bribery with the company.

A group of Chicago aldermen in mid-February demanded Emanuel for answers about the program, wondering whether the red light cameras were installed for safety or profits.

The speed camera program is causing the same concerns, with Emanuel saying fines from the speed camera program will inject $30 million into the mayor’s “children first” budget, the Chicago Sun-Times writes.     

The closest intersections in or on the border of Beverly, Mt. Greenwood and Morgan Park are at 111th Street and Vincennes and four cameras on Halsted between 95th and 119th, according to the city's data. In total, more than 150 are placed within the city's boundaries.

The exact locations of all the upcoming speed cameras are unknown, but there are plans for 40 of them around parks and school zones.

Redflex’s red-light camera contact ends in June, and Emanuel has already barred them from renewing. However, he says the speed camera program is unrelated. 

Do you think speed cameras are a good idea? Would you want one in your neighborhood?