2 more red-light cameras are coming to Naperville
Naperville will add red-light cameras at two more intersections.
Though cameras around the suburbs have been a recent source of controversy, Naperville officials say their system is being run properly and is reducing crashes.
The new cameras will be installed within two months at the intersections of Route 59 and Diehl Road and Ogden and Aurora avenues.
"This is a technological tool that is helping us improve safety of those people in this community who want to drive, want to live safely in our community," Councilman James Boyajian said. "Not to take advantage of that is wrong. I don't feel bad one bit about ticketing somebody who has been (driving illegally)."
Since January, the city has had cameras at Route 59 and North Aurora Road. Violators receive a $100 ticket and can go through an administrative hearing process to fight it.
From January through June, there was an average of 930 violations per month. Roughly 61 percent were right-turn violations and 39 percent were left and through, according to Marcie Schatz, director of transportation, engineering and development.
Total crashes are down 19 percent from the average of the past three years, she said. Angle/turning crashes are down 75 percent and rear-end collisions are down 8 percent.
Councilmen voted 6-2 to add cameras at the two additional intersections. The city will pay REDFLEX $688,880 over a three-year period to maintain the new cameras. REDFLEX does not get paid based on the number of citations issued.
Mayor George Pradel and councilmen Judy Brodhead, Robert Fieseler, Kenn Miller, Paul Hinterlong and Boyajian voted in favor of the cameras citing safety improvements.
Brodhead also said using police to issue red-light tickets would require too much manpower and money and that it is unsafe for officers to proceed through a red light themselves to catch a violator.
Councilmen Doug Krause and Richard Furstenau voted against the cameras saying they believe money is actually the goal and the crash statistics are premature.
"If you're serious about this being safety and not money we should charge the tickets based on what our costs are or give them community service, do something other than this $100," Krause said.
Furstenau attempted to lower the fine to $50, but that proposal failed.
A recent Daily Herald investigation found concerns in some suburbs with the amount of money the cameras generate, whether cameras are being placed at appropriate intersections, tickets being issued for minor violations and the potential to cause more rear end crashes.
Schatz defended Naperville's system saying the three intersections that will have cameras are all among the city's most dangerous.
In addition, she said the city will not issue tickets to motorists turning right if they make a complete stop, even if it's after the stop bar, as long as they do not force pedestrians into the intersection. Drivers also will not be ticketed if they were already in the intersection waiting to turn left prior to the light turning red.