Lake Zurich takes aim at red light runners

The clock is ticking on drivers burning through red lights on Route 12.

Lake Zurich police are give out warning citations to violators caught by the new red light camera at Route 12 and Miller Road during a two-week period, which began April 7, before they begin issuing $100 citations.

Police Cmdr. Kevin Finlon said the cameras will look for drivers running red lights, failing to come to a complete stop when turning right on red, or turning left on red.

"The hope with the red light cameras is to alter drivers' behavior so they obey the red lights and don't violate it," Finlon said.

Al Zochowski, Lake Zurich's finance director, said the village projects citations from the cameras will bring in $1.5 million in revenue annually. This is based on an expected average of nine citations per day, per camera.

Other cameras will be used at routes 12 and 22 and Route 12 and June Terrace. There will also be a two-week warning period when those cameras are operational.

Zochowski said the village must pay a $30 fee to Gatso, the company that makes the cameras, for every citation issued. This is projected to cost about $600,000 so the total profit from the cameras is estimated to be $900,000 per year.

He added the village paid nothing for installation, and the fees also cover any future maintenance costs.

"In Gatso's case, they use radar to detect when they (vehicles) are moving through a red light," Zochowski said. "That same system can be used if the village ever decides to (use the cameras for) speeding citations."

Gatso's cameras take still images of the vehicles as they enter an intersection. They also provide streaming video of the intersection as additional evidence.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent nonprofit organization looking to reduce crashes, Libertyville, Waukegan, Fox Lake, Elgin and Carol Stream are among the many communities in Illinois that already use red light cameras.