Reports came out last
week in the Chicago Tribune and Huffington Post that
the city decided not to renew the contract of Redflex Traffic Systems after
news came out that the company gave gifts to city official John Bills. Redflex was the company the city contracted with for its red light cameras.
As a result, city
aldermen passed a resolution calling for hearings to determine how and why
specific intersections were chosen and whether safety (rather than money) was the ultimate goal. The resolution calls for city officials to
appear at a hearing to explain what role Redflex played in deciding where the
cameras went and whether revenue projections were considered in choosing the
intersections. Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced last week that Redflex would be
dumped from the city’s red-light camera contract. “The
original ordinance calls for better traffic safety, but we don’t really know
the standards they used,” said Arena, 45th. “We want officials from
(the Chicago Department of Transportation) to come in and give us specifics on
the analysis and on whether these intersections are safer now.”
These
developments are taking place years after the cameras were installed under much
controversy. There have been numerous studies and articles written about
whether red light cameras actually make intersections safer. Some of the
studies actually concluded that there were more car accidents in certain
intersections where the cameras were located. It will be interesting to see
what the city does next and whether these cameras will continue to exist.
If
you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicagotruck accident, then call Chicago personal injury lawyer Aaron Bryant for a free legal consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at
www.blgchicago.com.