CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A speed-camera grace period in Chicago ends Monday, changing the threshold for generating tickets.
Starting Monday, drivers caught on camera going 6 mph to 10 mph over the posted speed limit will start seeing $35 tickets in the mail, under a crackdown triggered by a 45 percent surge in traffic deaths.
According to the City of Chicago, drivers caught on camera going 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit will receive a $100 fine.
There are 161 speed cameras in Chicago, with 88 currently in operation as 73 have been “disabled” since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, because they’re near shuttered schools and playlots.
Mayor Lightfoot is using authority granted to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel by City Council, but never used.
She is defending her decision to lower the threshold for speed camera tickets, saying it's imperative to “keep communities safe."
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City Hall argued it's safety, noting a pandemic-related surge in speeding, reckless driving and fatalities tied to reduced traffic volumes.
Despite people working from home and fewer vehicles on the road, Chicago saw a 45 percent increase in traffic deaths last year over the year before — 139 people died; critics say that's debatable, arguing it is more about money.
“I don’t believe this is about public safety. I don’t think it’s about vehicle safety. I think this is all about revenue,” said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale.
Whatever the case, the grace period ends next week and tickets will be in the mail.