CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Research by the Illinois Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, suggests Chicago’s speed cameras are very effective at raising revenue, but not at improving safety.
The speed cameras generated more than $84 million in fines last year and the IPI said crash injuries were up in school zones and near parks.
The research said each camera averaged more than a half million dollars in fines.
Nearly two dozen topped one million and five topped two million.
One, in Horner park, generated more than four million. The research concludes that the cameras either failed to increase safety or made it worse and they disproportionately impacted low-income and minority communities.
“In cases where you can see that the cameras are not having the desired effect, the city needs to have some flexibility to review these locations and move cameras. Our report recommended the city conduct crash and speed studies at intersections where the number of collisions increased," said Nebyou Tilahun, a professor of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago.
The Chicago Department of Transportation said its data shows the opposite-that crashes near parks and schools where cameras are located decreased.
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram