Say “Cheese” or $#:+!

Herbert Hoover promised a chicken in every pot and apparently Chicago city government has promised a red light camera at every intersection. Currently, 69 intersections are monitored by the cameras, designed to capture pictures or video of motorists who run red lights. But the current outdoor photo studios are only the beginning. The city has just signed a $52 million, five year contract [with an out of state company] to install an additional 220 cameras by 2012. (Assuming the city can find the money that number may climb to 580.)

Now, there is really no defense for running a red light. There are only three instances when it’s acceptable to blow through an intersection: official police business, an ambulance in a medical emergency and during a chase scene in a Michael Bay film. Still, the cameras evoke an air of Big Brother, or at the very least are a further erosion of our collective privacy. (If you’re looking for more, the city has also signed a separate multi-million dollar contract to install video cameras on street sweepers. There is now no escaping the $50 fine should you fail to see the temporary paper signs, which are occasionally hung the night before an impending run.) Though the city positions the arsenal of cameras as a public safety tool and as a way to promote better driving habits, it would appear that the motive is equally related to dollar signs.

Drivers caught on film for a red light violation are mailed are mailed a ticket for $90, soon to be an even $100. The city, by its own estimates, predicts the new cameras will generate $50 million a year in revenue. So, despite the numerous cameras acting as a deterrent, the city is still expecting 500,000 infractions a year.

Wow, I feel safer already.