Chicago Red Light Camera Locations

Chicago red light camera locations are spread through out the city and even more speed camera locations in surrounding suburbs. Traffic in the Chicago area can be brutal. Six way intersections are common in the city and you can be sure there are red light camera locations at those intersections.

Each red light camera violation is a $100 fine. And it is issued automatically - no police intervention. The camera detects when your car enters the intersection after your light has turned red, and then snaps a picture of your rear license plate. The city computers search vehicle records based on the license number and issues a $100 ticket to the owner of the vehicle.

That equates to 448,000 traffic tickets a year...

Which is 1,227 red light traffic tickets each and every day in Chicago...

all of which are automated - no human intervention...

No wonder they can raise $44.8 million dollars in a single year!

...and the city of Chicago wants to get more of your money as their revenue. Read on...

Chicago red light cameras are already collecting over $44 million in annual fines from drivers like you. The city alderman have already proposed two more ways to add on to the $100 fine they issue for an automated red light ticket.

The Chicago Tribune on March 17, 2009, reported that alderman "began talking about using the city's ever-growing legion of red-light cameras to check for vehicle liability insurance."

The city could bring in additional millions in fines just by citing uninsured vehicles that also get photo ticketed for a red-light violation.

An insurance executive who provides instant insurance verification told the Chicago politicians "Citing more vehicles-including those driven safely but uninsured-could net the city more than $100 million a year."

What broke city could pass that revenue up? And it comes out of your pocket!

The second Revenue generator Chicago politicians considered are mandatory traffic school classes for red light camera violations. And you have to pay an additional $25 to take the class! That's an additional $14.5 million a year for the city. And if you don't take the class, they will issue you an automated $50 fine. Take that out-of-state drivers! This is again under consideration in 2010.

But what can you do to avoid these automated red light camera tickets? Read on...

Your GPS is the answer. You can purchase a GPS POI database that will give you an audible alert that you are approaching a Red light camera location or speed camera location.

Many choices are available. Here's what to look for;

large number of locations - one has over 400,000 and growing. Less than 10,000 does you no good

easily downloadable to your GPS brand - The less reconfiguring the better

allows many downloads since new locations are added daily - unlimited is the best

What does the City of Chicago think of GPS Red Light Camera location Warnings?
Jennifer Martinez, spokeswoman for the city's Office of Emergency Management, said the main goal of the cameras is safety, not revenue. Martinez said the city has no opinion about red light camera detection devices. "Whether it's a device or a sign, we just want residents to pay attention at intersections," Martinez said.

It's simple, if you are driving in Chicago, you are going to come across a Red Light Camera location. Chicago has 143 installed right now, 39 more by the end of the year, and 330 red light camera locations in the city by 2012.

Why pay the city $100 plus additional fines, when you can use your GPS for warning you of the Chicago Red light camera locations? You can get the largest GPS Red light camera location database for a lifetime subscription for $99.00 - it pays for itself by avoiding just one ticket!

The Chicago suburb of Schaumburg added just one red light camera location. Village officials cited it would be for safety reasons. Immediately they had a flood of revenue as the location issued 10,000 tickets in 2 1/2 months. Per the Chicago Tribune article on July 15, 2009 - ""We felt like, 'Wait, something is wrong here,' " Village Trustee Marge Connelly said..."

"From the outset this was all about safety," said Trustee George Dunham.

"Our board never went into this intending to collect a lot of revenue," said Ken Fritz, the village manager. "We felt that if it really improved public safety, it was good, and if it helped us with revenue, that was good too."

"...village officials told RedSpeed to stop processing right-turn-on-red violations and only forward ones when drivers turned left on red or went straight through the intersection on red."

"RedSpeed did just that until May, when the company told police officials 'that because it was so labor-intensive to go through all violations compared to the number sent to us for final approval, they did not feel the time spent by their personnel was justified,' wrote Chief Brian Howerton in a June memo, recommending that the village terminate its RedSpeed contract.

"By the end of that month, RedSpeed was forwarding only left-turn-on-red violations, which totaled just 12 for all of May. Such a small haul hardly justified the camera and ticketing system, which from start to finish cost the village about $400,000 in fees to RedSpeed."

So the city removed the red light cameras because it collected too much money and the majority were NOT for running a red light straight through the intersection or for a dangerous left turn violation. Most were for Right turn on red, where they did not come to a complete stop - at an intersection that had few pedestrians.

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