111th Street Speed Camera Goes Live This Week

You've been warned. 

The planned speeding camera for 111th Street in front of the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences will begin issuing citations early next week, the 19th Ward Office confirmed. 

The initial timeline for the camera's installation was in September, but it was just installed on Nov. 14 and will go live early next week, as soon as signage is installed. For the first month the cameras will issue citations to drivers over the limit. After that period, your first violation will be a warning and tickets will be issued for subsequent ones. 

The 111th Street camera is in the first wave of 50 that will be installed this year. The only other nearby camera will be near Morgan Park High School at 1744 W Pryor Ave.

Ald. Matt O'Shea says that the 111th Street location was chosen because of the high number of speeders and accidents that occurred. A study of traffic accident incidents was used to determine the placement on the cameras. This intersection ranked in the top 10 percent of intersections in the city for traffic accidents.   

Under the current law, up to 300 speeding cameras can be installed in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has publically said that the city plans to collect $65 million to $70 million in revenue through the cameras within the next year, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

Here is how the speeding camera program will work: 

• Enforcement hours are limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in safety zones around schools on school days (Monday through Friday).

• From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.—20 mph speed limit when children are present; a 30 mph speed limit when no children were present. 

• From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.—30 mph speed limit.

• Enforcement hours for cameras around parks are generally from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week and with a speed limit of 30 mph.

• $35 for vehicles traveling 6 to 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit while in a safety zone

• $100 for vehicles traveling 11 or more miles over the posted speed limit