More red-light cameras coming to Geneva, St. Charles

Five red-light cameras - including two already being tested - earned approval from the Kane County Board's Transportation Committee Monday. The vote, however, didn't come without some committee members expressing concerns and suggestions for improvements about the citations the cameras generate.

The committee OK'd red-light cameras for three intersections in Geneva and two intersections in St. Charles. Geneva has red-light cameras along Randall Road at Williamsburg Avenue and Fargo Boulevard now being tested. Starting March 9, tickets will be issued to violators. A third Geneva camera is expected at Kirk Road and Fabyan Parkway, but it would not go live until the spring.

The cameras in St. Charles will be installed at Randall Road and Route 38 and at Kirk Road and Route 64. Both cameras go live in spring.

Committee Member Mark Davoust expressed some surprise at seeing the slate of cameras come up for approval before the committee.

"My direction was we weren't happy about this program to start with," Davoust said of the cameras. He asked county transportation staff to provide the committee with quarterly reports tracking the number of citations issued and any corresponding drop in the number of accidents at the intersections. The selling point of the cameras from municipalities and Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez has been that the cameras are meant to make intersections safer, not generate income through more traffic tickets.

Kane County Transportation Director Carl Schoedel told the committee his department reviews every request for a red-light camera very carefully.

"Our experience has been, in general, we get far more requests than we allow," Schoedel said. "We want to make sure there is a safety problem at the intersection, that it is related to red-light running, and that these cameras can help us with the problem."

After the committee approved the cameras, committee member John Fahy said he'd like to have more discussion about finding a way to eradicate the issuance of citations for failure to come to a complete stop before making a right turn, and ending the phenomenon of drivers getting stuck in the middle of an intersection because they are afraid of making a left turn once a light turns red at the intersections with cameras.

Committee member Mike Kenyon urged caution with letting drivers off the hook too easily. Kenyon said he sees too many drivers not even hesitate, much less come to a complete stop, before turning right on a red light.

"Do you just want to give them a pass, Mr. Fahy?" Kenyon asked.

"That's what we have a police force for, Mr. Kenyon," Fahy replied.

"We can't afford to have enough of them," Kenyon said.