close
close

Apre-salomemanzo

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

    • Chicago Begins Automated Ticketing of Drivers Parked in Bike and Bus Lanes
    aecifo

    Chicago Begins Automated Ticketing of Drivers Parked in Bike and Bus Lanes

    Umito Posted on

    Sarah Freishtat
    | Chicago Tribune

    Chicago — Owners of vehicles parked in downtown bike and road lanes can now receive warnings and, soon, tickets in the mail, as a delayed program to test automated ticketing for parking violations has begun.

    The pilot program, which uses cameras on eight city vehicles to enforce parking violations, began Monday. For the first month, vehicle owners will only receive warnings, but starting December 5, they can receive tickets with fines by mail. When tickets start being issued, drivers will receive a warning for the first offense and a fine for subsequent offenses.

    The program, called Smart Streets, is also expected to rely on cameras installed on CTA buses, but bus cameras are not yet in use, Chicago Department of Transportation officials said. The CTA is still working on acquiring cameras and could install them on buses in the spring, officials said. The transit agency has not yet identified specific routes that will include the cameras, but they could be used on up to six buses operating in areas such as downtown’s Madison and Washington streets or the along Dearborn Street.

    The program was also initially planned to use cameras mounted on poles to issue tickets. The city, however, backed away from using fixed cameras, citing concerns about cost and saying mobile cameras will allow the city to “prioritize hot spots” and “address issues as they arise.” occur rather than being tied to specific places.”

    Testing the program allows the city to use the cameras to send messages to registered vehicle owners for violations such as parking in bike lanes, bus lanes, crosswalks, bus stops and no parking zones, and includes an effort to prevent double parking. in commercial loading areas. It will last two years from the date the first ticket and fine is issued and will cover a large portion of downtown, from the lake to Ashland Avenue in the west, North Avenue in the north and Roosevelt Road in the south .

    The program will also soon include the issuance of tickets for parking meter violations, the town hall said.

    The program was approved in March 2023, and in February Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney said the program could be up and running by summer. On Monday, Carney said the delay in starting the program was due to the process of purchasing the cameras.

    Advocates have touted the program as a way to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians and speed up bus service by trying to remove bus lane blockages.

    “We are simply modernizing the way we enforce these laws, ensuring our streets work better for all users. Our goal is not to issue fines, but to create safer streets,” Carney said, standing near Milwaukee and Chicago avenues, where bus lanes, bike lanes and truck and car traffic crisscross the busy intersection. At one point, a vehicle stopped in the bus lane behind the podium where Carney was speaking from.

    The effects of vehicles parked on bike lanes have attracted increased attention in recent years, particularly after 3-year-old Elizabeth Grace “Lily” Shambrook was killed in a bicycle accident in Uptown in 2022. The bicycle on which she was carrying was forced to maneuver around a ComEd truck parked in the bike path, and a tractor-trailer collided with the bike, according to media reports.

    But the city’s use of automated ticketing for other types of enforcement, like speed cameras and red-light cameras, has long been controversial, with city officials touting these programs as safety measures, but critics describing them as a money grab or arguing that they do little to achieve it. strengthen security. Several previous investigations found that the city’s ticketing practices hit low-income offenders hardest and were disproportionately owed by drivers of color.

    Fines under the new program vary depending on the type of infraction, but, for example, the fine for stopping or parking in a bus lane is $90 and the fine for a bicycle lane is $250. An expired meter in the central business district costs a vehicle owner $70, and parking in a commercial loading zone costs $140.

    The program did not change the previously anticipated cost of fines. Low-income drivers will still be eligible for discounted tickets and other debt relief.

    Carney could not provide a forecast Monday for how much revenue the department hopes to bring in from the program, saying transportation officials are not looking to generate additional revenue. City officials, in their 2024 budget projections, expected the program to bring in $5 million that year, when the program was expected to be operational sooner.

    “The goal is not revenue” 40th Ward Ald. » said Andre Vasquez, alongside Carney. “The goal is to not receive any income because no one is blocking the cycle path.”

    Municipal controller Chasse Rehwinkel said that until now it was difficult to enforce parking permits, because often vehicles only block bicycle and bus lanes temporarily and it was difficult to obtain photos for support the case during an administrative hearing. The automated cameras aim to improve law enforcement, he said.

    “As we build a safer and more efficient system, we must work to expand accessibility for our walkers, cyclists, transit riders and drivers,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “Using automated technology to enforce parking violations in bus and cycle lanes, this pilot program helps us improve the reliability of public transport and protect our vulnerable road users. As we evaluate its impact over the next 30 days, I want to make sure our residents know we will not be issuing fines. We are evaluating the impact of this technology to discover best practices and will continue to work to refine our approach to make our streets even safer and more accessible.

    Before the two-year pilot ends, the city’s transportation and finance departments must report the program’s effectiveness to the city council.

    Umito
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like