Who Turned off the Lights?

Last night Chicago participated in Earth Hour 2008, a global campaign to raise awareness of climate change. For one hour, cities around the world asked citizens and businesses to turn off unnecessary lights to encourage people to start thinking about ways they can reduce their impact on the environment.

In anticipation of the event, I was in position at 7:55PM local time at Water Tower Park near the top of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, to watch the city fade to dark. Hoping for something between the strip’s usual luminance and a darkness that encourages looting, the results of Chicago’s first Earth Hour were certainly mixed.

At 8:00, the lights at the top of the John Hancock center went black, leaving the red warning lights at the top of its antennae hanging in the sky. The ancient sign announcing the Allerton Hotel’s “Tip-Top-Tap” faded out. And that was about it from my vantage point. Perhaps 25% of the businesses on the storied street joined the event. Various hotels darkened their lobbies; some handing out glow lights to their guests. Banana Republic, for example, darkened their signage and display windows. But an overwhelming number of retailers, from Sak’s Fifth Avenue to the Apple store to Nike Town were operating business as usual. So, from street level, it was pretty difficult to notice any difference if you were not looking for it in advance. I’m hopeful that in coming years Chicago’s participation, no matter how symbolic the event may be, will rise to a level that truly makes a statement.

Around 8:15, the floods illuminating the stone and mortar Water Tower finally went dark. Even an “Earth 45 Minutes” is a start.

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.