AVONDALE — In the year since three speed cameras were installed near Garcia Lorca Elementary School, drivers have been fined $144,165, data shows.
The cameras, located at 3230 N. Milwaukee Ave. and 3809 and 3810 W. Belmont Ave., have recorded 3,998 speeding violations since they were installed on April 8, 2014 (there was a warning-only period before citations were issued beginning May 22, 2014).
Speed cameras in Chicago can issue $35 tickets for motorists going six to 10 miles over the speed limit (but are currently only ticketing those going 10 over), and $100 tickets for those going 11 or more miles per hour over the speed limit. First-time offenders get a warning.
More than half the Avondale violations were by first-time offenders, meaning the $144,165 in fines came from 1,701 citations, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Of those, three-fourths were $100 citations.
The 3809 W. Belmont Ave. camera, which captures eastbound traffic, has been the most successful of the three. With 1,877 violations recorded as of April 2, including 1,132 warnings, the camera has generated $62,475 in fines.
The Milwaukee Avenue camera issued $60,770 in fines for 1,582 violations, including 869 warnings. The camera tracks both north and south traffic on Milwaukee Avenue.
Westbound traffic on Belmont Avenue has been the least problematic, with only 539 violations, of which more than half were warnings. Almost all of the camera's $20,920 in fines were for those speeding at least 11 mph over the limit.
The goal of the city's speed cameras is to slow drivers near parks and schools, but some residents feel speed and red-light cameras are an unfair way to generate revenue.
Ben Woodard and Tanveer Ali break down the speed camera data:
After six months of speed camera use, speeding violations drop by about 30 percent, the Chicago Department of Transportation said in a statement. The department also credits the cameras with reducing the number of repeat offenders.
The number of violations per month has indeed dropped in Avondale, with monthly totals up to 747 last summer dropping to fewer than 300 per month since November.
With Lorca Elementary nearby, the two cameras enforce a 20 mph speed limit on school days from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., but a child must be seen in the photograph of the speeding car. Otherwise, a 30 mph speed limit is enforced until 7 p.m.
The data also revealed:
- Peak ticketing times at the intersection were between noon and 3 p.m., with the most violations taking place over the lunch hour. One-fourth of the total 3,998 violations were issued between noon and 2 p.m.
- After 4 p.m., the cameras see far less action, with only five citations issued from the 3810 W. Belmont Ave. in that time frame over the past 11 months.
- Of the city's 146 speed cameras, the west-facing Belmont Avenue camera ranks 14th on the list of fewest citations.
Here are all the stories looking at speed camera data across Chicago's neighborhoods.
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