Red light cameras get green in Libertyville
Like it or not, cameras soon will be monitoring traffic at selected intersections in Libertyville.
"We think the cameras probably will be operational by the middle of March, then we'll do a warning period for a couple of weeks," said Police Chief Pat Carey.
The village began researching red light cameras nearly two years ago. But an unanticipated switch midstream to another vendor has delayed implementation of the controversial devices.
Carey said equipment is being installed at three intersections and eventually will be at a fourth.
Cameras will monitor northbound and eastbound traffic at the Milwaukee Avenue/Route 137 intersection; westbound only traffic on Peterson Road at Butterfield Road; and northbound only on Milwaukee Avenue and Artaius Parkway.
Northbound and southbound traffic on Route 45 at Peterson Road also will be on camera eventually.
The work continues in Libertyville as a proposal to strip communities from using red light cameras remains in play in the state legislature.
Critics say communities are using red light cameras to generate revenue. A showdown in the Illinois Senate expected Wednesday didn't happen, but a red light ban and other legislation remains under consideration.
"We have a contractual agreement with our vendor," Carey said. "We have no idea where the legislation will go, so we have to proceed."
Village officials have maintained the cameras will be used to improve safety and reduce accidents.
Mayor Terry Weppler during a discussion of the new contract with Gatso-USA last year vowed the village would not ticket for violations of right turns on red. Carey upheld that promise this week.
"We want to emphasize we have no plans to try and enforce right turns on red with this equipment," he said.
Carey began researching the red light possibilities in early 2008 and the village board in July of that year approved a contract with LaserCraft Inc.
About a year later, the company announced it no longer intended to develop red light enforcement systems for Illinois communities, and the switch to Gatso was made.
Gatso owns the equipment and the village does not pay for installation. It will pay up to $30 per ticket for services. Tickets are $100 but there is proposed legislation to limit that to $50.
Information provided to the Illinois Department of Transportation for justification of the cameras showed a total of 447 accidents, 71 one of those involving injuries, at the four intersections from 2005 through 2007.
Updated information shows the total number of accidents at those locations dropped to 106 in 2009 compared with an average of 149 for 2005 to 2007. That still represented about 11 percent of the total number of accidents reported in the village, Carey said.
He attributed the drop to a traffic enforcement program instituted in late 2007 but predicted that just the signs notifying drivers that cameras are in place will further reduce the number of accidents.