There was jubilation in this corner of Lake County last week as Gurnee officials quietly announced they were ending the long-running red-light camera program in the village. It remains to be seen if others in the area will follow suit.
Despite the good intentions of Gurnee police and village officials to make area motorists safety-aware at various intersections, the photo devices were universally abhorred. Many saw their installation as more of being revenue producers than geared toward safety considerations.
Not helping that skepticism was the gauntlet Gurnee strategically set up at three major Grand Avenue intersections, from Route 21 west to Hunt Club Road. The red-light devices — Gurnee had the most in Lake County — are expected to be removed from village intersections between now and the fall.
An estimated 200,000 vehicles passed through Gurnee’s red-light camera intersections daily. No red-light camera tickets will be issued from now on.
A red-light camera violation ticket socked drivers $100 for the infraction. One estimate is that at their peak, red-light cameras were bringing in more than a billion dollars a year for all regional municipalities.
The devices are installed overwhelmingly in Chicagoland, including several in Lake County, among them Libertyville, North Chicago and Waukegan. The city of Chicago is home to the nation’s highest count of red-light cameras, along with speed cameras.
Full disclosure: I received a red-light ticket some years ago when they were first installed in North Chicago, right by the Lovell VA center. Wonder how many veterans have been caught in the city’s red-light camera web at that location?
Regardless, drivers have been honking their vehicles’ horns with joy now that Gurnee is the first in the county to end its photo-enforcement program. The announcement was made on July 8 on the police department’s Facebook account.
Red-light cameras have been a fixture of Gurnee for the past 16 years. “The decision to end the program was made after a careful evaluation of its long-term impact on traffic safety and its ongoing operational challenges,” read a statement announcing the new turn.
Since 2009, officials say the program delivered measurable safety results: Crashes at intersections equipped with red-light cameras saw an annual decrease of 32%. Installation of the devices at village intersections originally was evaluated based on a number of variables, including traffic volume, accident rates, crash and injury severity, crash type and red-light violations committed during those crashes.
However, one study of Houston traffic in 2018, by Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, determined red-light cameras didn’t increase safety. Researchers found that while T-bone collisions decreased during that time, non-angle collisions, such as rear-end crashes, actually increased. A similar study by the Chicago Tribune in 2014 found the same results: Rear-end crashes were up 22%.
“This program was never about catching people, it was about protecting them,” Chief Brian Smith said in a statement. “And based on the data, it worked. Our roads became safer and driver behavior improved not just at the camera locations, but throughout the village.”
Officials point to the “halo effect,” in which drivers become more cautious across a community, not just where there is traffic enforcement. Plus, Chief Smith said there has been an added bonus from the millions of dollars brought into the village since the beginning of red-light photo enforcement.
“The revenue generated from citations supported critical public safety initiatives and infrastructure improvements,” he added. “The numbers speak for themselves. This program saved lives.”
Crash rates have remained below pre-2009 levels, even with increased traffic volume on Gurnee streets. Yet if successful, why end the program?
One thought is that the revenue stream has been shrinking as drivers became accustomed to the presence of the red-light cameras and the accident rate dropped, thus emphasizing the safety aspect of their installation. Officials say the contract with vendor Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc., expired July 5 and the village chose not to renew it.
Verra Mobility, based in Mesa, Arizona, acquired Redflex in June 2021. The Redflex name had been sullied after allegations that employees of the red-light camera vendor were partaking in bribery schemes allegedly taking place in 2012 across 13 states, including Illinois.
Gurnee officials noted vendor support became inconsistent, maintenance delays affected system uptime and cameras had to be disabled during road construction work. They also cited a thorough evaluation of the long-term impact on traffic safety and operational challenges as other reasons behind the decision.
Unfortunately, for motorists who blew through an intersection on a red light on or before that July 5, they remain on the hook for the $100 ticket. No rest for wicked drivers traveling in Gurnee.
While those red-light cameras may be gone, they are not forgotten.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
X: @sellenews
