speed cameras coming to chicago school zones and park areas

I'm retired, but a school crossing guard here on Long Island for ten years. Let me tell you that I wouldn't mind having them over here.

Drivers don't care if it's a school or park with alot of kids around. Too many drivers are only for themselves and don't give a sh*t about anything else.

Yes, I know its about money also, but drivers also have to follow the law around school zones and parks.

School zones are generally NOT located in high traffic areas, and most of the are well posted. While the occasional unsuspecting driver might get "picked off" by a school zone speed camera, most of the drivers that will get tickets KNOW they are entering a speed zone and will be repeat offenders. It is likely many will be the parents going to pick their children up... and I have no sympathy.

I have no problem with speed cameras in school zones and playground areas.

I am in agreement. In a school zone please follow the speed limit. It's only a few short blocks where you have to stay at that speed. People are always in a hurry to get no where important.

I agree with a speed cameras in school zones, here in Illinois, a local high school is on a high traffic street with a police office directing traffic into and out of the school, often there is another police car in the center median of the road watching the on coming traffic, mainly looking for speeders and drivers using cell phones through the school zone, here in Illinois, cell phone usage in school zones and construction zones are illegal.

As I posted in another thread about speeding recently: be careful what you wish for. You'd probably get ticketed for this yourself. The great majority of drivers would. Don't believe me?

The current Illinois school zone speed limit law is 20 mph "when children are present." That's what the warning signs say all over the state. If we assume that this means when children are visible alongside the street within the school zone (debatable, but it would be rare to get a ticket from a patrol car if that condition did not apply), this condition typically exists for a few hours each school day and occasionally on weekends.

The details of the proposal for Chicago have changed repeatedly, but here's the most recent version of the proposal that I could find in the Tribune five days ago.

The proposed speed cameras would operate "on school days" between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. expanding the enforcement time well beyond where it is now. If you own a car that goes between 25 mph and 31 mph through a marked school zone, it's a $50 ticket with points towards licensing and insurance rates. 32 mph or over is a $100 ticket with points. There will undoubtedly be disputes about whether a particular day is a "school day." What about summer school? What if there's a weekend football game? What if there's a snow day? Who will program the camera or enforcement program to monitor what days the school is open and make sure tickets only go out to people going 25+ mph on those days? How will drivers know which weekdays school is in session so that the speed limit is 20 mph versus non-school days when it's higher?

Speed camera enforcement near parks will occur daily "during the hours the parks are open." Something like 10-20% of Chicago street blocks are in a school or park zone.

This program will ticket visitors who see the signs that say "20 mph when children are present" and don't understand what that has to do with being ticketed for going 26 mph at 6:45 p.m. on a Thursday night when no one is in sight.

This is not about safety. Pedestrian accidents near schools and parks occur occasionally in Chicago, but less often than other types of accidents and not at a rate where this enforcement is likely to substantially lower the number of pedestrian accidents in school and park zones. This is about using safety of kids as an excuse to raise revenue for the city which is in a severe financial squeeze. And it will be expanded beyond speed enforcement in school zones and near parks once they get their foot in the door here.

If those parks that Lake Shore Drive runs though or next to are included, the revenues could be enormous.

Ron

Not to mention the expressways!

Better watch the school zones! I would probably rather see them in a school zone.

I may be wrong, but I heard that traffic law enforcement on the interstate highways in Chicago was the responsibility of the State Police.

Of course, with big buck revenue available, anything may be possible...Very Big Grin

Ron

Hmmmmm gotta remember to keep updating POI FACTORY speed and redlight cam poi file on my GPS.

The funny thing about the speed cameras in school zones is that Chicago just spent thousands of dollars installing speed bumps at all schools so speed is not much of an issue unless your are driving the "big foot" monster truck.

Thumbs down...I can see the system being abused and taking advantage of drivers with no recourse or dispute system in place...

Exactly as mentioned above, my big concern would be the whole school days, when children are present issue. When children are not present, the 20mph speed limit should not apply. The cameras will not know when the speed limit should be 20 vs 30/35/etc. Unless the law about school zone speed limits gets changed as well, this will have a legal battle ahead of it when somebody challenges a ticket on the grounds that no children were present and the speed limit was not 20mph as a result. Either that or the tickets will be easy to have thrown out.

The proposal was changed again last week when the fines were lowered from $50 to $35 for the minimum amount over the limit.

What do you expect? It's Chicago... and Illinois! There's two places to be from.... as far from as one can get!

Nuvi1300WTGPS

I expect to see them in many other places soon.

Montgomery County, MD is trying to move ahead with the deployment of an ADDITIONAL 50 red light/speed camera sites. They already have a slew deployed now.

Perhaps the future has in store personal implants to make sure government knows where you are & how fast you're moving!!!

Fred