Politics & Government
Mount Greenwood's Getting One, Where Else Are Speeding Cameras Going?
The speed camera in Mount Greenwood will be up and running this month, find all of the locations around the city.
The City of Chicago announced last week more details on the plan to install 50 new speeding cameras by the end of the year, including one in Mount Greenwood.
The automated speed enforcement—or ASE—cameras are a part of Chicago’s Children’s Safety Zone Program, a move Mayor Rahm Emanuel says is to increase safety and reduce speeding around school and park zones.
As Patch reported early last month, a speed camera will soon be operational in front of the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, 3857 W. 111th St.
While the 111th Street camera is the only one set for the 19th Ward so far, two cameras are coming close to our borders. One near Morgan Park High School at 1744 W Pryor Ave., and another 970 W 115th Street.
Ald. Matt O'Shea says that the Mt. Greenwood location was chosen by the city because it ranks in the top 10 percent of intersections for traffic accidents.
View an interactive map of all 50 speed cameras here.
“The Children’s Safety Zone Program protects children and other pedestrians by reminding motorists to slow down and obey speed laws – particularly in school and park zones,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein.
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Under state law, Chicago has the right to install up to 300 speed cameras around safety zones like public parks.
The logistics of the program work like this:
Find out what's happening in Beverly-MtGreenwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- 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
In the details of the program released by the city, the funding could be used for a wide variety of projects. Some like crossing guards, after-school programs and more police officers around schools seem to fit in with the "for the kids" bent of the camera initiative. Others, like traffic safety improvements and signage are a bit more open-ended.
O'Shea says he would like to see the money used to put more officers on the street.
Another layer of the program is the locations of the cameras. Emanuel says the program is aimed to protect children and is not just a revenue generating effort.
However, as the Tribune points out the ordinance limiting cameras to within one-eighth of a mile from schools or parks, yet that wording allows cameras in about half of the city.
During a pilot test of the cameras, about 10 percent of all passing cars could have been cited for speeding. It has been predicted that the potential 300 speeding cameras could bring in hundreds of millions in revenue.
-By Andy Ambrosius and Dan Lambert
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