Wauconda officials delay decision on red-light camera
Wauconda officials on Tuesday deferred deciding whether to reinstall a red-light camera at Bonner Road and Route 12.
Rather than voting on the proposal, board members said they want more data on the severity of accidents that have occurred at the intersection, which Police Chief David Wermes called the most dangerous in the village.
They also wanted to know about the types of tickets that were issued between November 2009 through September 2011, when a red-light camera caught scofflaws there.
Of particular interest was a comparison of the number of tickets issued to motorists driving straight through red lights vs. tickets issued to motorists making right turns while the light was red.
"(There are) lots of questions," Village Administrator Doug Maxeiner said.
Officials also are going to ask the camera vendor, Red Speed USA, if it can install a camera at the intersection to collect data for several months and not issue tickets until the board approves a plan.
The intersection's red-light camera was yanked in 2011 because of a road construction project and never was replaced. Since then, accidents there have increased more than 30 percent, officials have said.
Two red-light cameras already are active in Wauconda: One is on Route 176 at Main Street, and the other is on Route 176 at the ramp that leads to southbound Route 12.
Critics often complain red-light cameras simply are cash streams for towns. Officials estimate the red-light camera could bring the village an additional $40,000 annually.
Maxeiner has called that sum "relatively insignificant."