Chairman predicts few red light cameras in Kane County's future

Red light cameras may be only months away from vanishing from Kane County roads thanks to new rules awaiting a county board vote.

Kane County oversees all the permitting for red light cameras at intersections involving county roads. On Wednesday, the county board's Executive Committee advanced rule changes to the full county board that restrict the life span of a camera to three years. The rules also impose new standards for local municipalities to reach in trying to justify placing a camera at a county intersection.

The idea is to make red light cameras a means of last resort to correct accident-prone intersections. That idea led Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay to say the era of red light cameras may be coming to an end.

“My prediction is with this new policy, you have very, very few red light enforcement cameras around the county, McConnaughay said.

The policy will impact both new and existing red light cameras. Existing cameras at county intersections have annual reviews of their permits. As those permits expire, the ongoing use of the camera at the intersection would be reviewed under the proposed new rules.

McConnaughay said intersections that don't draw much foot traffic will likely be the first to see their red light cameras disappear.

“We are now demanding evidence that there is a lot of pedestrian interaction, McConnaughay said. “If there is not a lot of pedestrian interaction, typically there are very, very few accidents that take place.

The county board will vote on the proposed new rules Tuesday.