Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been adamant that his speed camera plan is about safety, not generating revenue. So perhaps he'll be amenable to Ald. Anthony Beale's (9th) proposal that cameras near school zones be shut off an hour after students are dismissed.
"We have to make sure it doesn't run 'til 8 or 9 o'clock because schools are out at 3 o'clock," Beale said, according to WLS. "So it shouldn't run past 4 o'clock even if there's an after school program."
Governor Pat Quinn signed off on the measure earlier this month, which provides for cameras to be added at stoplights near schools and safety zones, and for existing red-light cameras to be retrofitted to also record speeds. Tickets for $50 will automatically be issued to the owners of vehicles recorded moving between six and 10 mph above the speed limit, with higher speeds earning a $100 price tag per infraction.
Emanuel pushed for the legislation's approval despite overwhelmingly negative feedback from voters. A Huffington Post poll on the topic found roughly 87 percent of respondents opposed the plan, and The Expired Meter reported that more than 90 percent of calls fielded by Quinn's office about the bill were against it.
The legislation now heads to Beale's desk. As chairman of the City Council’s Transportation Committee, the law's terms will be debated by his team for approval before implementation.
Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th) disputed Beale's argument, noting that in his North Side community, schools often function as "community centers" and have children on site late into the evening, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. O'Connor, the mayor's City Council floor leader, did concede that the program should be instituted gradually, a nod to Beale's complaints that the sudden onset of such high penalties is unfair to city residents.
But Emanuel told WLS he's unsympathetic to concerns about the plan's fairness to speeding drivers.
"The victim is a child hit by a car going 10 to 15 miles per hour over the limit near a school zone. The victim is not a speeder." Emanuel said, according to WLS.