Illinois Comptroller Is Opting The State Out Of Collecting Red Light Camera Fees

Posted On Jan 10, 2020 By admin With Comments Off

We’ve discussed red light cameras many times in the past, most often to point out how they genuinely aren’t great at serve any benefit in vehicle safety, but are quite good at filling up the coffers of local government on the backs of motorists. Given that these are essentially profit centres run by governments that aren’t well suited to maximizing benefits, the contracts for these red light cameras are typically outsourced to private interests. And if that seems like a recipe for unrestrained bribery … well … yeah. Everyone from judges to my beloved dwelling metropoli of Chicago has ascertained themselves being investigated, and sometimes billed, with mad dishonesty as part of these red light camera contracts. Contracts that, again, don’t make anyone any safer.

It’s bad enough that the Illinois State Comptroller has decided to opt out of its duties to collect on red light camera costs exclusively.

Since 2012, the Illinois Comptroller’s office has provided as a sort of collection agency for communities that are trying to get motorists to pay their red-light tickets. The comptroller’s tool: Deducting the amount owed in exemplary tickets from state-income tax pays due to the violators — with about $11 million rallied this path on behalf of 60 Chicago neighbourhoods in 2019 alone — and forwarding the majority of members of the take to the towns while keeping a small trimmed.

But with federal reviewers looking into red-light contractor SafeSpeed over allegations of pay-to-play — amid tellings about politically connected sales representatives for the company landing juicy commissionings — Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said her agency will no longer perform this function.

To be honest, it’s more than a little sad that it takes clownish corruption to get the rotations of state government to stop bilking its own citizens with red light cameras, but at least it’s happening. Mendoza wasn’t done, however. She has also publicly stated that red light cameras are quite about income rather than safety, and went on to recommend to all of the Chicago suburbs that they all simply discontinue their red light camera programs.

“They should revisit their programs only, ” Mendoza said. “I don’t think it’s good public policy and I think it’s time it ends.”

Yes, they should. We’ve been calling for this for years. Having traffic safety procedures that don’t have anything to do with safety and are instead contemptuous methods for putting money in public coffers seems like the kind of thing we shouldn’t do.

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