Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

In an effort to improve safety and urban livability, the city of Chicago has been rolling out its first speeding cameras in recent months, exclusively in school zones and near parks. And lo and behold, a lot of people are breaking the law and driving dangerously.

false

The Chicago Tribune reports that revenues from these cameras are many times higher than anticipated:

The mayor had hoped to bring in $30 million this year. But results from a month-long test of the automated camera system indicate the city could reap well into the hundreds of millions of dollars in the program’s first year.

As we reported recently, both the Insurance Institute on Highway Safety and the Governors Highway Safety Association say the evidence is irrefutable: automated traffic enforcement cameras save lives. Network blog Systemic Failure says, given the benefits, it's a small wonder more communities aren't embracing this tool:

Even accounting for the road lobby, it is still hard to understand why governments aren’t doing more with speed enforcement. It is a win-win situation -- more revenue and safer streets.

Elsewhere on the Network: Reconnecting America shares a new study examining the impact of transit-oriented development on housing prices. Together North Jersey explores strategies for redeveloping abandoned retail spaces, or "greyfields." And Cascade Bicycle Club wonders whether Seattle can make a conscious decision to build a healthier transportation system, like the Dutch did a generation ago.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Traveling Without the Car

City Nerd focuses on the cities where it's easiest to get into town without a car.

December 20, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Share and Share Alike

It's pretty clear that bike- and scooter-shares reduce car trips, but it may be time to consider a subsidized or nonprofit model for car-shares as well.

December 20, 2024

Inside California’s Messy E-Bike Voucher Launch

Over 100,000 Californians tried to grab 1,500 e-bike vouchers in less than an hour. But does that mean the launch was bungled?

December 19, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Indianapolis’s Blossoming BRT Network

Austin Gibble on bus rapid transit and cycling in Indiana's capital city.

December 19, 2024
See all posts