State Senate OKs train crossing cameras

SPRINGFIELD - A suburban program that uses cameras to ticket drivers who go around closed railroad gates will expand statewide if a plan approved in the Illinois Senate Thursday becomes law.

"Every day, especially at rush hour, these trains go blazing through our communities," said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican. "These cameras have cut fatalities in half, literally in half."

Unlike red light cameras, which are often operated by private companies on behalf of cities and villages, railroad crossing cameras are operated directly by municipalities in coordination with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

That difference led senators who opposed red light cameras to support the railroad crossing cameras.

"This is one time when it's not about just gouging the public and raising revenue," said state Sen. Rickey Hendon, a Chicago Democrat. But Hendon also warned senators "there are others coming that are all about the money," referring to a pending Senate proposal that would allow using cameras to ticket speeding drivers.

At the same time, not all senators were convinced railroad crossing cameras make a difference.

"This is not going to save any lives. How does a camera save lives?" asked state Sen. Mike Jacobs, an East Moline Democrat.

But state Sen. Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat and the plan's sponsor, countered that it's not the camera that saves lives, but the presence of a camera that deters drivers from trying to drive around the gates.

The Senate approved the plan 55-3. It must still be approved by the Illinois House and Gov. Pat Quinn before becoming law.