Politics & Government

Speed Cameras Still to Come After Red Light Camera Snafu

The mayor says Chicago will still receive speed cameras although they're tied to the company behind the red light camera bribery scheme.

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.

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) was one of Chicago aldermen in mid-February who demanded Emanuel for answers about the program, wondering whether the red light cameras were installed for safety or profits.

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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.     

Five intersections in or on the border of Lake View—including West Belmont Avenue and North Halsted Street—are currently monitored using red-light cameras, according to the city's data. Several others pepper the north side and more than 150 are placed within the city's boundaries.

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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. 


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