Springfield… After a recent “Chicago Tribune” investigation showing the Chicago red light program failed to deliver on longtime safety claims, State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) co-sponsored legislation to eliminate the program. House Bill 173passed out of the House and aims to end the abuse of questionable tickets issued to increase revenue instead of focusing on the safety of Illinois motorist.
“We have taken a first step to dismantling an experiment gone wrong in Illinois. Red light cameras are not about safety, they are just about revenue. I used to support them in an effort to reduce dangerous accidents, but they have not helped, and communities have simply started ticketing people for questionable violations to make massive amounts of revenue.”Supporters of the ban assert that the cameras do not generate any benefit to public safety. Also, the cameras cannot identify drivers. The legislation exempts home-rule units and states that after January 1, 2017, non-home rule units within the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, and Will are prohibited from enacting or enforcing existing automated red light camera systems.
In 2010, a new law, P.A. 96-1016, established reforms to the red light camera laws, including providing administrative adjudication of violations by a law enforcement officer, no fee for exercising one’s right to an administrative hearing, and requiring that recorded images of violations and the locations where red light cameras are installed be posted on a municipality’s website.
House Bill 173 now heads to the Senate for consideration.