The Chicago Sun
Times reported last week that speeder cameras located near Chicago
schools and parks went through a month long test period. The city placed
cameras on the North Side near
Warren Park in the 6500 block of North Western and around Near North Montessori
School in the 1400 block of West Division. South Side cameras were
installed in the 2200 block of West Pershing near McKinley Park and in the 6300
block of South King Drive near Dulles Elementary School. No tickets were
issued and the city won’t say how many speeders were observed or how fast they
were going.
The city used two (2)
competing camera companies during this testing period (Xerox State & Local Solutions and American Traffic Solutions), and
now the city will determine which contractor they will use going forward.
Though
this project will bring in new revenues for the city, Chicago mayor Emanuel
insists that these cameras are being installed solely for children’s safety.
“I’m keeping my word. I said we were gonna invest in kids and their
safety…We’re gonna expand by 30 percent our after-school programs, double the
size of our summer jobs and add 5,000 kids to our pre-K, wrap-around, full-day
services,” the mayor said. It wasn’t a money-maker in the sense that you
were leaving the impression, which is that it was gonna be just some sloshing
around inside the budget. It’s going right back into what I said it was. And
there’s no better child safety program than after-school programs…when
two-thirds to three quarters of all children become a victim of crime.”
This speeder camera
program has gone under some scrutiny since it was announced last year. I think
it is too early to decide whether this is a good idea. If Mayor Emanuel is
being forthright about the safety considerations and the number of caraccidents and pedestrian accidents decrease in school and park areas, then it
will be deemed a success. Time will tell.
If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at
312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.