St. Charles' first red light camera up and running

Wednesday marked the first full month of St. Charles' foray into red light cameras at intersections. So far, the results are slow to trickle in.

The camera is in place at the intersection of Route 31 and West Main Street. It went live Sept. 22 for a 30-day warning period. Instead of tickets, drivers caught on camera violating the law at the intersection were supposed to receive "courtesy letters" reminding them of the camera and asking them to drive more safely in the future. St. Charles police have requested information from the company, Redflex Traffic Systems, that is in charge of the camera about how many warning letters were issued in the first 30 days, but have yet to hear back.

That also likely means no actual citations with real fines have gone out to motorists as the police department must review footage of the infraction before deciding if any actual laws were broken before sending the tickets out. Drivers caught in the wrong are supposed to receive a $100 ticket in the mail. The city is paying about $4,400 a month for the service, but aiming to recoup the cost in the fines issued.

The camera was a long time in coming. It was first proposed in 2006 as other local municipalities began to experiment with them. Now communities such as Naperville, Lake in the Hills, Rolling Meadows, Rosemont and South Elgin all have the cameras in place.

The St. Charles City Council approved cameras at a total of six intersections in the city in July of 2007. All five of the other locations are still in the permitting process with the county or state for approval, or still in the planning process, police said Wednesday.

Cameras are targeted for Randall Road at Route 38; Second and Illinois streets; East Main Street and Kirk Road, East Main Street and Kautz Road, and East Main Street and Dunham Road.