Red Light Camera Protest Sunday in Oak Lawn

Sept. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- CHICAGO – Traffic camera enforcement will again come under fire Sunday, as concerned residents take to the streets in opposition to the technology’s proliferation, specifically a unilateral Cook County ordinance passed June 1 intended to add 30 additional red light cameras countywide. Organizers aim to raise awareness of the proven ineffectiveness of red light cameras and lobbyist influence in the first in a series of public actions planned for this fall.

Protesters will gather at 11:00 a.m. at the intersection of 95th and Cicero in Oak Lawn.

The event is part of a continuing backlash against unmanned traffic enforcement technology in Illinois. Controversy erupted immediately after the Cook County board’s June vote, as a number of municipalities took measures to thwart the legislation. The county ultimately moved to allow municipalities to opt out of the program. Efforts by Schaumburg activists, led by the Schaumburg Freedom Coalition, forced the village to abandon its highly lucrative red light camera program in 2009. A measure to ban all red light and speed cameras statewide, except at railroad crossings and construction zones, even made it to Springfield last legislative session in form of State Sen. Dan Duffy’s SB 2466.

“Despite clear victories in the fight against this severely flawed law enforcement mechanism, our elected officials at all levels must be held accountable for their irresponsible votes,” explains Scott Davis of the Cook County Campaign for Liberty, the group organizing Sunday’s protest.

“Public response on this particular issue has been tremendous,” Davis adds. “Red light cameras are widely recognized for what they are – taxes masquerading as safety measures.”

A 2007 study by the University of Illinois Chicago conducted by Professor Rajiv Shah concluded that red light cameras in Chicago actually increased accidents by 6 percent. The City of Chicago, which saw $63 million in fines from red light cameras in 2009, strongly challenged Shah’s findings.

Some estimates put the number of traffic enforcement cameras in the state of Illinois at 700, more than two thirds of which in the City of Chicago.

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Cook County Campaign for Liberty promotes ethical leadership in Cook County by advocating for civil liberties, privacy, fiscal responsibility, and transparent and limited government by means of activism and educational activity.