St. Charles gearing up for second red light camera

It's been more than three months since St. Charles installed its first red light camera at the intersection of Route 64 and Route 31, but the city has no data on accident reduction or citations issued to track the return on its investment so far.

Despite that, the city took an early step toward bringing a second red light camera online this week at the intersection of Route 64 and Randall Road. Both thoroughfares are among the busiest in the region.

The city council approved an agreement this week that frees Kane County from litigation when the new camera comes online. St. Charles police said the actual installation of the camera is still a long way away, but the Route 64 and Randall Road intersection is definitely the next in the hopper at this time.

The city currently pays about $4,400 a month for red light camera at Route 64 and Route 31. A private company, Redflex Traffic Systems, is actually in charge of the camera. The police review footage when the camera is triggered before issuing a ticket through the mail.

The city council approved cameras at a total of six intersections back in July of 2007, but they've been slow to come online as the permits for the cameras work their way through county and state government.