Those red-light cameras in Waukegan and soon to be in Gurnee and other county locales may enlighten, so to speak, motorists if a central Florida study is any indication.
The town of Apopka, near Orlando, installed red-light cameras in July 2007 at two highly traveled intersections, according to the report The Hound saw. That first month recorded 289 infractions. In August 2007, there were 262 ticket issued.
Fast forward to January 2008 and the number of tickets dropped to 26. As of March, 21 tickets --- at two intersections --- were given out.
So much for a revenue maker. That is if those figures translate up North. Remember, most drivers in the South think they can compete on the NASCAR circuit. They respect that caution flag.
I remember Mayor Kovarik saying about two years ago that she would trade every penny in a heart beat if people would just stop running red lights. It looks like she may have been right. A big win for the folks driving in Gurnee if this trend plays out here in the North.
I have heard any jurisdiction state that these cameras are being installed to generate revenue...yes, there is a cost of ownership that the jurisdiction may have to cover in the future, but this study proves the cameras do what they are designed to do, reduce the number of cars running red lights, and ultimately saving lives in teh process.