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- --------------------------------------------------- Red-light cameras: State legislators having 2nd thoughtsState Reps. Angelo 'Skip' Saviano and Jack Franks now seek to rein in
suburbs
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- http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/crime-law-justice/punishment/02004000.topic - Punishment
< ="http://www.chicagotribune.com/hive/common/s/google-adsense-.?client=ca-tribune_news3_&channel_=chicagotribune.com&channel_section=chicagotribune_section&=wide&page_=http://www.chicagotribune.comews/chi-red-light-cameras-saviano-18dec18,0,5320265,print.story" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" border="0" height="165" scrolling="no" width="234">
By Bob Secter Tribune reporter
December 18, 2009
Call
it sponsor's remorse.
The chief author of the 2006 Illinois law that green-lighted suburban red-light
cameras is now pushing a legislative revision that could effectively undo his
original bill.
The proposal, from Rep. Angelo "Skip" Saviano, R- http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/cook-county/elmwood-park-PLGEO100100501420000.topic - Elmwood Park , would ban the
use of cameras to ticket motorists for rolling right turns on red, a
significant limitation that would strip away the financial incentive for
municipalities to install the devices.
By some estimates, up to 90 percent of infractions flagged by cameras involve
failures to make proper stops before turning right on a red light. While
illegal, such maneuvers rarely lead to serious accidents.
Camera proponents tout them as safety devices that reduce intersection crashes
-- in particular, dangerous broadside collisions -- by inducing drivers to be
more cautious or risk $100 fines.
But Saviano said the practical impact of the cameras has become distorted.
"It went from a safety issue to a revenue issue," he said. "The
bottom line is people can't afford to pay the gosh darn fines. They are
grumbling."
Saviano's measure is one of several proposals to rein in the use of red-light
cameras that have been filed by Illinois lawmakers in anticipation of the
legislature's 2010 session.
Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, a co-sponsor of the 2006 law, has also filed a
measure that would outlaw right-turn-on-red tickets generated by cameras. A
separate Franks bill would reduce the maximum fine to $50 for any traffic
ticket issued using automated cameras.
"I was a proponent of (cameras) early on, but they're not being used as
intended," Franks said. "I want to take away the profit motive and protect
our citizens from overreaching government."
Camera-related fines, most for right-turn-on-red violations, reap hundreds of
thousands of dollars a year in revenue for many area suburbs. Chicago, which
has installed more cameras than any U.S. city, collected $44 million in camera
fines last year.
Saviano said it is not clear whether his new measure would apply to Chicago if
passed in its current form. The city's red-light camera program predated
passage of the 2006 law, which sanctioned cameras for the suburbs and a handful
of downstate counties.
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