Roselle adding second red light camera

Less than a year after installing their first red-light camera at Gary Avenue and Lake Street, Roselle officials this week approved plans for a second camera at Rodenburg Road and Central Avenue.

The intersection is near a bike path and Alexian Field, and police say it attracts many speeders and drivers cutting through the nearby industrial area or ignoring red lights before right turns.

"We had a recent right turn hit-and-run with a pedestrian there and I almost got hit there personally," Deputy Police Chief Jimmy Lee said. "I think (the camera) will change some driving behaviors and then we could move it to somewhere else where it would be effective."

The camera will monitor only traffic in or turning from the southbound lane of Rodenburg. Officials are unsure when it will be mounted; they must complete an engineering study and explore power concerns and visibility issues, Lee said.

Like the camera at Gary and Lake, motorists will be ticketed for failing to make a complete stop before turning right on red or for heading straight or left through the intersection after the light is red.

The fine for all offenses will be $100 and won't affect driving records or insurance fees.

All violations will be reviewed by Roselle police before citations are mailed to the vehicle's registered owner.

Lee said the intersection was chosen after a traffic study found roughly 115 violations over a roughly 12-hour period. Gary and Lake had similar statistics and officials said the camera has been effective in curbing violations.

So good, in fact, that Lee and Village Administrator Jeff O'Dell said ticket revenue came in below Roselle's budget projections. O'Dell said the revenue is about $30,000 a month.

"Maybe things are working the way they are intended to work," O'Dell said.

Lee said he knows some drivers feel the cameras create a Big-Brother environment. But he argues the cameras provide an extra set of eyes for police in reviewing accidents, save money on extra officers and provide a safer method of traffic enforcement.

"It's a cost measure," he said. "How can I afford to cover an intersection when an extra police officer costs a salary plus benefits? Also, you're asking an officer to do something counterintuitive - run through a red light to catch someone who blew a red light. Then you're also asking an officer to block a lane of traffic, which is dangerous."