NORTH LAWNDALE — A series of controversial speed cameras installed in North Lawndale have issued more than $3.7 million in fines, city records show.
North Lawndale's most profitable speed camera, located near the North Lawndale Youth Farm plot (at 2900 W. Ogden Ave.), has raked in $2.2 million in fines since November 2013, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Other speed cameras issuing heavy tickets in the neighborhood include a pair next to Douglas Park (at 2912 W. Roosevelt Road and 2917 W. Roosevelt Road). The cameras were installed by the city in fall 2013 and together have issued more than $1.3 million in fines, data shows.
The city's speed cameras issue a $35 fine to motorists caught traveling exactly 10 mph over the posted limit and a $100 fine for cars going 11 mph or faster, city officials said. First-time offenders get a warning.
While it is allowed under current law, the city does not assess fines for drivers going between 6 and 9 mph over the speed limit.
The Ogden Avenue camera alone has issued 43,600 warnings, 4,580 $35 fines and 20,780 $100 fines. The speed camera issues the most tickets between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.
Outgoing Ald. Michael Chandler (24th Ward) backed a plan to eliminate red-light and speed cameras by 2018, but the ordinance failed to force a vote at City Council. On the campaign trail, new Ald. Michael Scott Jr. told the Sun-Times that the red-light program is "a revenue generating tool," not a public safety tool.
"The city is in need of alternate revenue generating sources," he wrote in a candidate questionnaire. "I believe the messaging should change to reflect its actual intended purpose."
A speed camera installed at near Frazier International Magnet Academy (1110 S. Pulaski Road) issued $139,000 in fines since October 2014. Another at 4042 W. Roosevelt Road issued a total of $121,400 since October 2014, records show.
The speed cameras are on from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Ben Woodard and Tanveer Ali break down the speed camera data:
Citywide, the city has installed 146 speed cameras in 62 child safety zones, according to Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Here are all the stories looking at speed camera data across Chicago's neighborhoods.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
