Palatine Wants New Red-Light Camera Contract Amid Banning Efforts

PALATINE, IL — The Village of Palatine plans to continue using red-light cameras and is seeking a new contract for the systems despite several lawmakers trying to ban them. According to the Daily Herald, Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen said the cameras have lowered traffic crashes and increased safety. Adding that the village has no complaints about RedSpeed, the village's current vendor in Lombard, it's looking at other proposals, according to Ottesen, adding that the industry has evolved, the news report said.

According to information obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, the police department is reviewing the proposals which are expected to be discussed by village council by the end of the year, ottesen said.

Republican state Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) is one of the opponents of the red-light camera system, calling it a "corrupt program" and believes it's "all about revenue," the Daily Herald said.

>> Read more via Daily Herald, including data from 2008 through June

McSweeney also was the chief sponsor of a bill that would ban red-light cameras in non-home rule communities. House Bill 322 passed the House in February 2020 — and only four members voted against the ban. This would mean that only 45 communities with red-light cameras would be impacted, removing just 92 of the state’s 607 cameras.

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"The Village of Palatine has three main objectives for implementing the program:

• To reduce the number of injury crashes resulting from right angle and turning collisions
• Reduce the total number of crashes at an intersection overall
• Reduce the number of Red Light Violations at the selected intersections"

Related:

• Illinois To Stop 'Unethical' Red-Light Camera Ticket Collections
• Illinois Drivers Have Paid $1 Billion In Red Light Camera Tickets In The Last 10 Years

According to the village website, Palatine has two red-light cameras at the intersection of Rand at Dundee roads, one at Rand at Hicks roads, one at Northwest Highway and Palatine Road, and one at Illinois Avenue at Plum Grove Road.