City Announces First Locations For Speeding Cameras

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 9, 2013 9:55PM

The Chicago Department of Transportation announced Friday the first dozen locations for speeding cameras to be placed near school zones and parks, with cameras to be set up in four locations as early as next week and issuing warning notices to drivers by the end of the month.

Speeding cameras is a contentious issue in a city already blanketed in red light cameras and other surveillance video. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has touted the program as a safety issue. At one point it was believed Emanuel and CDOT would blanket half the city in speeding cameras but the mayor eventually agreed to a 300 camera cap after a handful of aldermen raised some concerns.

While the speeding cameras may result in safer driving, the revenue expected to be generated by them in the form of traffic citations will be a boon for the city’s coffers. Those tickets won’t be issued until after a 30-day grace period expires for each location. Drivers caught on camera speeding will be issued a warning during the grace period. Fines for speeding through a “children’s safety zone” will range from $35 to motorists going 6-10 MPH over the speed limit and $100 for drivers speeding 11 MPH or more over the limit.

Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein said in a statement, “in addition to one free warning the first time a motorist is eligible to receive an actual violation, we expect to reduce the amount of speeding substantially, even beyond what other cities that use automated enforcement have experienced.”

The first twelve locations for the cameras are:

• Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave.
• Gompers Park, 4222 W. Foster Ave.
• Washington Park, 5531 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive
• Marquette Park, 6743 S. Kedzie Ave.
• Humboldt Park, 1440 N. Humboldt Dr.
• Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento
• Curie High School, 4959 S. Archer Ave.
• McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
• Jones High School, 606 S. State St.
• Legion Park, 3100 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
• Abbott Park, 49 E. 95th St. Chicago
• Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, 3857 W. 111th St.

The first locations to receive speeding cameras will be Garfield Park (at 3790 W. Madison St. and 3694 W. Jackson Blvd.); near Gompers Park (at 4124 W. Foster Ave. and 5119 N. Pulaski Rd.); near Washington Park at 5530 S. Cottage Grove Ave. and 534 E. Morgan Dr.); and near Marquette Park.