DuPage panel eyes criteria for red-light cameras
It wasn't enough to have two options for the DuPage County Board to choose from when it came to allowing municipalities to use cameras to ticket motorists for turning right on a red light.
Board members were either siding with municipalities and police officials to allow the enforcement or, more commonly, they wanted the practice banned at county-controlled intersections. But at Tuesday's county board transportation committee meeting, they were presented with a third option.
The county transportation staff suggested the board allow camera enforcement for right turns at intersections where at least three crashes have been caused by right-turn violations for three years straight.
Opponents of the cameras remain leery of the new option because it requires additional analysis of intersections and there is some concern crash data could be manipulated to show a need where one doesn't exist.
Board member Paul Fichtner wanted to know what assurances could be made to prove that crash data would show that the crashes were caused by a right turn on a red light rather than just involving a motorist turning right.
"I had a study done that showed 8.5 percent of the accidents on county roads are related to right turns on a red light," he said. "But we've seen data that shows tickets generated by these cameras mostly come from right-turn violations."
Admittedly, the county transportation staff said the three-crashes-for-three-years rule would allow cameras at a "very limited" number of the county's 60 most crash-prone intersections. They modeled the rule on a state code that similarly allows "no right turn on red" signs to be placed at such troublesome intersections.
Nearly two dozen DuPage police and municipal officials attended Tuesday's meeting. Roselle Police Chief James Kruger was the lone police representative to speak to the committee.
"We're looking for assistance from the county to use technology to enforce a current law," he said.
The county's proposed red-light camera policy would charge a $1,100 permit fee to municipalities for each intersection where a camera is sought. Another $500 fee is suggested for administrative review costs. Board members also suggested a 50/50 revenue split from the cameras.
Each camera request would also require a "justification report" that county transportation officials said was mainly based on crash data at the intersection.
Another draft of the policy is expected to the transportation committee for review at its Nov. 3 meeting. The full board could take the issue up for debate and possibly a vote as early as its 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 meeting.
Transportation committee Chairman Don Puchalski said he wanted to have several options for the full board to debate.
"But I want it to be a safety - not revenue - issue," he said.
Light: Some worry about data manipulation