Algonquin almost camera ready

The day after Halloween should be burned into the back of your brain.

That's when Algonquin officials are expected to go live on four red light cameras at three intersections - Algonquin and Randall roads, where there will be two, Randall and Bunker Hill Drive and Routes 31 and 62, where there will be one camera each.

Officials say these three intersections log the most accidents in town.

The most recent road fatality occurred last year at Randall and Bunker Hill Drive.

It was between a motorcycle rider and a truck driver, said Sgt. Wade Merritt, head of the police department's traffic division.

He expects the cameras to slash the number of accidents by 45 percent.

"I'm just looking forward to reducing the number of injury crashes that we have to handle in Algonquin," Merritt said.

A 30-day grace period commences Saturday.

On Dec. 1, the cameras will begin mailing out $100 tickets to motorists running through red lights - you'll only get a ticket if your entire vehicle is over the line.

These tickets don't count against your driving record.

The intersections were supposed to be camera-ready in August, but bureaucratic delays pushed their debut back to November, said Jenna Kollings, Algonquin's assistant village manager.

In case you need proof that you ran a red light, ACS State and Local Solutions Inc., which owns the cameras, allows you to view your own footage on its Web site.

Meanwhile, Algonquin is paying a pretty penny for its camera time.

Each camera costs $4,950 a month to rent - that's a total of $19,800 - or 198 tickets at $100 a pop - Algonquin will be shelling out monthly.

Revenue drawn from the cameras will help cover the rent and court costs associated with people who want to contest the tickets in Algonquin's new municipal court, Kollings said.