Chicago City Council Holds Off On Speed Camera Vote

Last year Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot included a controversial wrinkle in her yearly budget. The budget included fines for those caught on camera speeding between 6-10 miles per hour over the limit. These tickets are non-moving violations. Lightfood has touted this change as safety issue, but detractors to the fine saw it as nothing but a money grab.

An alderman has an ammendment that would eliminate the 6-10 mph fine and only fine those caught going 11 mph and over. The new law would make those tickets $100. The current fine is $35.

ABC 7 and Block Club Chicago reported that the amendment was deferred and continued to a later date by one of Mayor Lightfoot’s alies on the council. It is unclear why the mayor and her alies did not want the vote or why they did not allow at least a debate on the issue.

According to Block Club the speed cameras issued 2.3 million tickets in the first 10 months of 2021 after the speeding threshold was lowered to 6 mph — nearly as many as the city issued in 2018, 2019 and 2020 combined.

Mayor Lightfoot’s other argument is that if these fines are removed, the city would lose $45 million in revenue annually. I have yet to see any studies or data as to whether th 6-10 mph threshold actually makes the city’s streets safer. We will be following this closely in the weeks ahead.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, at 312-614-1076 for a free legal consultation.

“Rebuild Illinois” Infrastructure Projects Underway In Champaign County

I think it’s fair to say that most driver’s troughout Illinois are tired of crumbling roads. They are sick of potholes. They are frightened of old rickety bridges. If you drive on I-55 from Chicago to Springfield and all the way to St. Louis, there are sections of that highway that are completey unsafe. The same can be said for I-57. Hopefully these complaints will be coming to an end as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s infrastructure planned titled “Rebuild Illinois” is taking affect. WCIA recently reported nine projects are either underway or scheduled to start soon throughout Champaign County.

Rebuild Illinois, which was signed into law three years ago by Governor Pritzker is supposed to be an answer to the old roads and bridges throughout the state. Rebuild Illinois is a $45 billion investments in roads, bridges, railroads, universities, early childhood centers and state facilities over six years.

Below are a list of projects in Champaign County, which cost total about $270 million:

  • Interstate 74 bridges over Canadian National Railroad and Market Street in Champaign: Deck repairs began in August of 2020 and are expected to finish this fall. Two lanes of traffic remain open in each direction.
  • Interstate 74 west of St. Joseph: Bridge deck repairs are underway and are expected to be complete in December. There are permanent lane closures with a barrier wall.
  • U.S. Route 150 from County Road 2350 E in St. Joseph to the Vermilion County line: Road resurfacing began this month and will end in September. Intermittent lane closures will occur every day of the project.
  • Interstate 57 from Rantoul to Thomasboro: Resurfacing began this month and will end in December. Daily lane closures will occur.
  • Interstate 57 from Rantoul to the Ford County line: Resurfacing begins in August and will continue into next summer. Daily lane closures will occur.
  • U.S. Route 45 from Saline Branch Ditch to just north of Olympian Drive: Installation of new shoulders and rumble strips will begin in July and will be complete in September. Intermittent lane closures will occur every day of the project.
  • Intersection of U.S. Route 150 and Illinois Route 49 in Ogden: Drainage improvements will begin in August and will end in December. Intermittent lane closures will occur every day of the project.

These projects to repair roads and bridges are incredibly important to the state. They create a safer driving experience for everyone. Hopefully the safer roads and bridges will lead to less traffic accidents and traffic fatalities. An addded bonus is that Rebuild Illinois is also creating thousands of well paying jobs.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Illinois truck accident, then call Illinois personal injury lawyer, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Ford Recall 2.9 Million Vehicles For Gear Shift Defect

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced this week that Ford is recalling 2.9 million vehicles that might not shift into the correct gear and could move in an unintended direction.

The issue in certain Ford sedans and SUVs is that the gear appears to be in park even though it may not be in park. Drivers have exited a vehicle only to have it roll, increasing the risk of injury or crash, according to the safety regulator. The NHTSA has reported six (6) property damage and four (4) injuries regarding this potential defect. Luckily no deaths have been reported.

The vehicles recalled include model year 2013 to 2019 Escape, the 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion and the 2013-2021 Transit Connect. If you or someone you know owns one of these vehicles, it is important to return the vehicle to a local dealer for the appropriate repairs.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a auto defect accident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.

Chicago Department of Transportation Announced Start Of “Complete Streets” Program

As reported by Block Club Chicago, the Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) announced the start of long awaited bicycle lane construction in the Logan Square and Avondale neighboorhoods.

CDOT announced the installation of curb-separated bike lanes on Belmont from Kimball to Western avenues this summer as part of its Complete Streets program. The program is aimed to increase road safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. The bike lanes, which will provide an east-west connection to other lanes across the city, are one part of a much larger project to revamp Belmont. Also included in the Belmont Avenue improvement project are pedestrian crossings, floating bus stops and a dedicated bus lane coming to Diversey and Kimball intersection where the Belmont Blue Line station sits.

In Logan Square, CDOT announced a complete overhaul of Milwaukee Avenue between Belmont and Logan Boulevard. The plan includes ew raised sidewalks, gutters, street lighting, traffic signals and trees, along with curb extensions and bike lanes.

Also in Logan Square and Avondale, the city wants to install bike lanes and make other infrastructure improvements along Kedzie Avenue from Diversey Avenue to Addison Street. That project is in the planning phase, but construction should begin this summer, city officials said.

These are ambitous projects that are long awaited. CDOT stated that they should take about two years to complete. Unfortunately, the city has mourned the loss of two todlers who died in bicycle traffic accidents the last few weeks, which has created a public outcry for better or more dedicated bicycle lanes throughout the city. Although Chicago is one of the most bike friendly cities in the country, these improvements cannot come soon enough. Traffic congestion is back after the pandemic shutdown. Now is the time to improve our streets for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago bicycle accident or a Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076