Red-light cameras: State legislators having 2nd thoughts
[From Red-light cameras: State legislators having 2nd thoughts -- chicagotribune.com]
Now that legislators have seen how the cameras are used, they are not as supportive:
The chief author of the 2006 Illinois law that green-lighted suburban red-light cameras is now pushing a legislative revision that could effectively undo his original bill. The proposal, from Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano, R-Elmwood Park, would ban the use of cameras to ticket motorists for rolling right turns on red, a significant limitation that would strip away the financial incentive for municipalities to install the devices.
By some estimates, up to 90 percent of infractions flagged by cameras involve failures to make proper stops before turning right on a red light. While illegal, such maneuvers rarely lead to serious accidents.
. . .
But Saviano said the practical impact of the cameras has become distorted. “It went from a safety issue to a revenue issue,” he said. “The bottom line is people can’t afford to pay the gosh darn fines. They are grumbling.”
Saviano’s measure is one of several proposals to rein in the use of red-light cameras that have been filed by Illinois lawmakers in anticipation of the legislature’s 2010 session.
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