Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Automated Traffic Enforcement Paying Off for Chicago

In an effort to improve safety and urban livability, the city of Chicago has been rolling out its first speeding cameras in recent months, exclusively in school zones and near parks. And lo and behold, a lot of people are breaking the law and driving dangerously.

false

The Chicago Tribune reports that revenues from these cameras are many times higher than anticipated:

The mayor had hoped to bring in $30 million this year. But results from a month-long test of the automated camera system indicate the city could reap well into the hundreds of millions of dollars in the program’s first year.

As we reported recently, both the Insurance Institute on Highway Safety and the Governors Highway Safety Association say the evidence is irrefutable: automated traffic enforcement cameras save lives. Network blog Systemic Failure says, given the benefits, it's a small wonder more communities aren't embracing this tool:

Even accounting for the road lobby, it is still hard to understand why governments aren’t doing more with speed enforcement. It is a win-win situation -- more revenue and safer streets.

Elsewhere on the Network: Reconnecting America shares a new study examining the impact of transit-oriented development on housing prices. Together North Jersey explores strategies for redeveloping abandoned retail spaces, or "greyfields." And Cascade Bicycle Club wonders whether Seattle can make a conscious decision to build a healthier transportation system, like the Dutch did a generation ago.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Unproven Tunnel Idea Getting in the Way of Inland Empire Transit Solutions

San Bernardino County Transportation Authority is still considering a car tunnel instead of high-capacity transit serving the Ontario Airport and its planned expansions

November 14, 2024

Downtown Metro B/D Line Subway Service Suspended This Weekend For Electrical Work

Metro is temporarily closing DTLA B/D Line stations and SGV A Line stations - all to get ready for new extensions opening soon

November 14, 2024

This Week In Livable Streets

Metro 14 Freeway expansion, Metro 5 Freeway expansion, Dutch mobility symposium, river/arroyo ride, Metro East SFV rail, Metro transit alerts, and more

November 12, 2024
See all posts