Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about speed cameras

Letting Drivers Dictate Speed Cam Placement — What Could Go Wrong?

By John Greenfield | Sep 24, 2014 | 31 Comments

12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas wants to use a dubious method to decide where Chicago’s speed cameras should go: crowdsourcing. On September 4, the Chicago Department of Transportation installed a speed cam in the ward at Archer Avenue and Paulina Street, near Mulberry Playlot Park, which features a playground and a water play area. Since […]

Archer Avenue Motorists Upset They Can’t Drive as Fast as They Want

By Steven Vance | Sep 12, 2014 | 99 Comments

Some motorists are complaining about a new speed camera along the busy 3200 block of Archer Avenue in McKinley Park. The accusations of a “speed trap” focus on the camera’s location, which is not immediately adjacent to the small park that, under Chicago’s “safety zones” rules, justifies the camera’s placement. But the camera is located […]

Speed Camera Cut Dangerous Speeding Next to Senn Park By 73%

By Steven Vance | Aug 18, 2014 | 34 Comments

Fast times on Ridge Avenue, in front of Senn High School, are now over: The speed camera that CDOT installed in front of Senn Park has sharply cut the number of speeders cruising at a dangerous 40+ mph. Right after the camera was first installed, roughly seven out of 1,000 drivers received an official mailed warning […]

Speed Cameras Issue 1.25 Million Warnings, Cut Speeding 43%

By Steven Vance | Jul 21, 2014 | 44 Comments

The City of Chicago’s automated speed enforcement system continues to succeed in reducing dangerous speeding around parks and schools. The Chicago Department of Transportation issued a press release earlier this month, stating that the number of speeding cars observed by its 51 speed cameras has fallen an average of 43 percent ever since the first […]

26 Bike/Ped Injuries Next to a School? No Big Whoop, Says WGN

By Steven Vance | May 15, 2014 | 33 Comments

WGN TV recently reported this week that 26 bicyclist and pedestrian injuries at Addison and Western, just outside of Lane Tech High school and within view of three speed cameras, “is relatively small.” Reporter Jackie Bange did not clarify just how many injured Chicagoans would be “relatively large” and thus merit a public response. She quoted […]

Speed Cams Aren’t Generating Much Revenue, and That’s a Good Thing

By John Greenfield | Mar 13, 2014 | 9 Comments

Yesterday’s Sun-Times piece on speed camera data obtained via a Freedom of Information Act focused on the fact that the cams haven’t brought in much cash for the city, assuming that must be a big disappointment for Mayor Emanuel. However, the real story is that the program seems to be doing an excellent job of […]

The 2013 Chicago Streetsie Awards

By John Greenfield | Dec 30, 2013 | 6 Comments

Season’s Greetings Streetsblog Chicago readers. I hope you’ve had a joyful December and are gearing up for a fabulous New Year’s Eve. 2013 has been a banner year for walking, biking and transit in the Windy City, but there were so many landmarks and firsts, as well as a few discouraging developments, that it’s a […]

Speeding Collisions “Much More Deadly Than Other Collisions”

By Steven Vance | Dec 20, 2013 | 14 Comments

Washington, DC, has the same “vision zero” goal to eliminate traffic deaths as Chicago. In this new public service announcement, DC police chief Cathy Lanier says, “High speed collisions are much more deadly than other collisions.” Exactly. When you compare the severity of injuries that pedestrians suffer in speeding-related crashes to non-speeding crashes, you see what […]

Controlling Trains Will Save Lives, Reducing Car Speeds Will Save Many More

By Steven Vance | Dec 4, 2013 | 7 Comments

After the fatal Metro-North commuter rail crash in the Bronx this weekend, yesterday the Chicago Tribune published an informative article about Positive Train Control for Metra. PTC is a technology that can slow or stop a train when the engineer is incapable of operating it, not paying attention, or when something else goes wrong. After a commuter […]

Speed Cameras Working: Speeding Drops 65 Percent

By Steven Vance | Nov 20, 2013 | No Comments

Speed cameras are already reducing speeding. A Chicago Department of Transportation press release notes that 507 vehicles per day were photographed speeding 10 mph or greater over the speed limit in the first week of an initial “warning” period at four locations. When the nine cameras at Gompers, McKinley, Garfield, and Marquette Parks started issuing tickets, there […]

No “Children’s Fund” But Speed Cam Revenue Will Still Boost Kids’ Safety

By Steven Vance | Nov 19, 2013 | 13 Comments

Today in the Tribune, reporter Hal Dardick implied that Chicagoans should be outraged because, despite Rahm Emanuel’s promise that money generated by speed cameras will be invested in traffic safety and violence prevention programs for kids, he hasn’t created a separate “children’s fund” in the proposed city budget. Dardick notes that any revenue generated by […]

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