Lake Zurich eyeing traffic cameras

Lake Zurich is the latest among a host of suburban communities considering the use of automated red-light cameras to snare violators at intersections with a high rate of crashes.

Chicago has had such cameras poised at prominent intersections to nab red-light violators since 2003.

The trend seems to be catching on like wildfire in the suburbs, which gained the ability to install red-light cameras after Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a new state law in 2006.

Dozens of municipalities in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties from Aurora to Gurnee, and a few counties as a whole -- Cook, DuPage and Kane -- have either considered or approved the use of red-light cameras citing safety as the main reason. The cameras also tend to be lucrative for the cities and towns that use them.

Lake Zurich Village Administrator Bogdan "Bob" Vitas said there is a significant amount of traffic that comes through the village's two main roadways, routes 12 and 22.

Yet, he said it isn't a surety that the village will get the cameras.

"It's hard to say at this point," he said. "I think we are in the preliminary stages of discussion. Whether or not we do it will depend on delving a little big more deeply into the traffic patterns and the nature of violations that occur at intersections."

Lake Zurich police William Urry said the intersections with the most violations are routes 12 and 22, and Route 12 and June Terrace.

"Most of the traffic light intersections at Route 12 would qualify," he said.

Lake Zurich police shared a report with village board members Monday night about how well red-light cameras have worked in other towns, the costs, liabilities and relative benefits.

The Federal Highway Administration lists red-light violations as the No. 3 highway safety issue behind impaired driving and excessive speed. Illinois fatalities at intersections represent 26 percent of all traffic fatalities, and 80 percent of those fatalities occur at intersections with signals.

Critics of red-light cameras in other towns have said the money collected from violators is like another local tax and that the cameras could cause more rear-end crashes with motorists stopping short to avoid running a red light.

The benefits include providing full-time enforcement of an area, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and freeing up patrol officers to perform other duties.

Villages don't have to purchase the cameras themselves. The cameras, all accompanying electronic equipment and related services are provided through four major vendors. Those vendors are responsible for determining violation rates at intersections, equipment installation as well as the collection of violation notices, among other things.

"There are really no upfront costs to the village," Vitas said. "We don't pay for the cameras. They are owned and operated by the vendor."

Lake Zurich police would like to use the photo enforcement on a trial basis. Police said Chicago has seen a 30 percent reduction in red-light violations at intersections equipped with cameras.

Should Lake Zurich decide to get the cameras, the village would contract with the vendor for a monthly fee that would amount to roughly 20 percent to 40 percent of the recoverable fines. The monthly fee cannot exceed the amount of fines recovered.

Neighboring Kildeer also is looking into the possibility of photo enforcement. That village board will discuss the matter at its Jan. 22 committee of the whole meeting.

Some facts about red-light cameras

• New state law signed in 2006 prohibits the use of cameras to penalize drivers for anything other than running red lights. Red-light camera surveillance is allowed only in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair and Will counties.

• The cameras are used to catch drivers entering an intersection after a light has turned red or drivers who don't come to a full stop before turning right on red. The cameras won't record a car if it entered the intersection before a light turning red. They are only triggered on after the light has turned red by sensors in the pavement of the road.

• A red-light camera ticket is not considered a moving violation. It's more like a parking ticket that is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle because the camera takes pictures only of the license plate. The violation won't show up on the owner's Secretary of State driving record and it won't affect insurance rates.

• Fines cannot exceed $100, even for multiple infractions.

• A ticket can be contested by mail or at an in-person hearing. If you contest a ticket by mail, the decision ultimately made by your county or municipality is final.

• If driving a rental car, you still get a ticket because the fine print of any rental contract considers you the temporary owner of the vehicle.