Red light cameras activated in Lombard, Villa Park

Villa Park and Lombard soon will be collecting green from motorists ignoring red, with the goal of reducing accidents.

Villa Park police already have started issuing tickets to violators caught running red lights by automated cameras at two of three intersections to be outfitted with the electronic eyes, Deputy Chief Bob Budig said. A third camera is expected to start a testing phase any day, he said.

Meanwhile, Lombard continues with a warning and testing period through the end of this month for its first camera, located at the intersection of Finley and Roosevelt roads. Lombard police expect to start issuing tickets April 1 based on the camera footage that captures violations by motorists eastbound on Roosevelt, Lombard Chief Ray Byrne said.

A second intersection, North Avenue and Route 53, will begin a testing period once the ground thaws enough for installation to be completed, Byrne said. Motorists who activate the cameras, which monitor North Avenue, will get warning tickets during that roughly three-week span, he said.

"It gives us and the company the opportunity to make sure the equipment is working properly," Byrne said.

It also will give motorists time to become aware and adjust their driving habits before getting penalized.

"We're not trying to trap them," Byrne said. "The number of accidents is what we'll use to gauge its success."

Budig agreed, saying: "The better informed the public, the less violations."

In Villa Park, cameras are already monitoring southbound traffic on Route 83 and westbound traffic on Riverside Drive, as well as motorists driving east on North Avenue at Villa Avenue, Budig said.

Cameras at Summit Avenue and Roosevelt Road will be turned on any day, Budig said. A 15-day testing period will follow, before any tickets are issued, he said. The electronic eye will be monitoring westbound motorists on Roosevelt.

"We enforce the laws. The law is they have to come to a complete stop," Budig said. "We need to constantly remind people to stop for red lights."

Police in both communities say they selected the intersections based on red light violations and accident data. They have both contracted separately with RedSpeed Illinois in Lombard to install cameras and monitor violations.

Police officers at each of the departments will review RedSpeed's data before issuing citations, officials say.

The penalty for a red light violation captured by cameras in either community is $100.

For additional information, visit redspeed-illinois.com or see Lombard's Web site at villageoflombard.org or Villa Park's at invillapark.com.