Speed cams in Chicago will soon grab your wallets?

Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, is finally getting his wish. Chicago is officially getting closer to installing the initial speed cameras at 50 locations by the end of 2013. According to Chicago Tribune, “state law allows Emanuel to install cameras at up to 300 locations in specially designated school and park zones” around Chicago.

The biggest surprise (not) is a recent test run by two competing vendors, ATS and Xerox State & Local Solutions, concluding the estimated revenue from the speeding tickets would exceed, wait for it, “well into the hundreds of millions of dollars in the program's first year”.

Emanuel's push for this huge revenue stream made everyone in the City Hall curious at first but now, everyone soaked their panties and some more. Reading about this cash grab, I sit there and wonder, why Chicagoans bend over and take it without a peep? Why not install a GPS systems in every car in Chicago and automatically withdraw weekly penalty from your checking accounts? It would be more cost effective.

What is wrong with you people? It's right there: revenue, cash stream, bring in, reap, millions of dollars. Nobody's taking about how many accidents will be avoided, how many kids will be saved, how many lives will be prolonged. Where are the pedestrian vs. car statistics? How will City Hall justify year after year of this new tax?

On the positive note, Emanuel's friends from Redflex Traffic Systems are persona-non-grata due to the bribery scandal with the red light camera program. I wonder who does the Mayor know at the ATS company?

You might call it a drive-through colonoscopy, but once again, Chicagoans got boned. This time with a camera tip light pole. And no, I'm not taking about a huge population of pale Poles in Chicago.

Lights, camera, wallet!

Courtesy of chides @ SXC

With the plan to add about 500 new speed cameras around schools and parks pushed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, I find it very disturbing that public interest is quite mild.  With the existing 380 red-light cameras already in service, city of Chicago will become a "leader in safety".

With WSJ reporting that Chicago already pockets $68 million a year from the red-light cameras, how much would Chicagoans dish out for fines?

Conservatively, lets say half of those cams would get business during the school days:

     270 days x 250 cams x $35 (6 miles over limit) = $2,362,500

The other half would catch drivers around parks all year around:

     365 days x 250 cams x $35 (6 miles over limit) = $3,193,750

Total of $5,556,250 would be split between the city of Chicago and Redflex Traffic Systems represented by Greg Goldner (Mayor strong supported) acting as a link between the Mayor and the company.  

But it gets better.  The fine for speeding 11 miles over the speed limit goes up to $100.  Shall we?

         270 days x 250 cams x $100 = $6,750,000

         365 days x 250 cams x $100 = $9,125,000

That makes $15,875,000 pot of gold available for grabs.  Maybe I should start a traffic-cam company?  There's money there. 

So, since the speed cam ordinance was approved by the City Council committee in 7-3 vote, let the games begin.  Lights, camera, wallet!  Your wallet.