LAWMAKERS PUSH BAN | Critics say devices cause crashes while making money for municipalities

Illinois state Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Barrington) says he wants anyone running a red light to be punished "to the full extent of the law." But he doesn't think red light cameras are the way to do it.

Duffy is pushing to ban the cameras except at construction sites and railroad crossings. His bill and about a dozen others offering red light camera reforms will be debated in the state Senate this week.

"Municipalities have to learn to cut their expenses," Duffy said. "They can't come up with new tax schemes to try to make money. . . . They're setting up franchises on every corner."

Some safety groups, such as the Active Transportation Alliance, say the cameras have reduced crashes and improved driver behavior.

"These tools make it safe for kids to walk to school, the elderly to walk to their friends' houses and families to enjoy healthy, environmentally friendly active transportation," the Alliance said in a statement.

Duffy and other critics claim the cameras increase rear-end crashes, because drivers brake suddenly to avoid getting a ticket.

State Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago), who has his own camera reform bill, thinks cameras should not ticket for right turns on red. "I think that's clearly just a hustle," Hendon said.

Sen. John Millner, a Republican from Carol Stream and a former Elmhurst police chief, says the cameras should be more visible, and he wants signs at camera-monitored intersections to remind drivers to stop completely before turning right on red. He also wants police officers to review every violation.

Chicago has 184 red light cameras. The city doesn't intend to install new ones this year, but does plan to move some cameras from intersections that have seen reductions in red-light running to other places, according to Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Steele.

Steele said the cameras work: The number of crashes at the intersections are 20 percent fewer two years after cameras were installed when compared with the number two years before the cameras were put in place. The city also has seen red-light running drop up to 90 percent at some intersections.

Steele has reviewed dozens of videos of drivers running red lights. He doesn't see people slamming on brakes, but does see them trying to speed through the intersection.

"The vast majority of the people who get tickets are people who make the decision not to stop at the red light," said Steele. "A motorist who's paying attention to traffic lights should have no problem whatsoever coming to a safe and complete stop."

Steele bristles at the idea that turning right on a red light without stopping is "not dangerous" and shouldn't get a ticket.

"Pedestrians and bicyclists trying to cross the street are the ones whose safety is jeopardized by a vehicle not coming to a complete stop," said Steele.

A Sun-Times analysis last year found the number of tickets issued for violations at camera-equipped intersections in Chicago drops dramatically over time, as drivers learn where cameras are and stop running the light.