help_outline Skip to main content

Social

Trimming speed limit to 25 mph could make 'dra...
Author Last Post
5/9/2024 11:58 PM
Chicago's stop lights used to be synchronized to 30mph. At 15mph I could ride for miles without having to stop.

Now it seems the lights are purposely not synched. I've read that this is because various aldermen want to make a show of "doing something" when there is an accident in their ward.

It's counter-productive. Drivers are constantly speeding and swerving, trying to get through the next one before it changes. If the city would return to synchronized lights, and make people aware of it, things would improve. "The reward for safer driving is green lights", and, conversely, "Speeding between stop lights will no longer get you home any faster, you'll just spend more time stuck at red lights."

I understand that there are a few cities that already do this, with measurable reductions in accidents, reduced demand on Police and Fire Departments, and fewer insurance claims.

Good luck getting this to happen anywhere in Cook County.

Frank

Frank Brichetto / fbrichetto@yahoo.com
5/7/2024 7:07 PM

A video on this subject for anyone interested..............


https://youtu.be/JRbnBc-97Ps

5/6/2024 10:19 AM
Thank you Mitur, I would not believe what the Illinois Policy Institute says.
Earl

"Good is something you do, not something you talk about. Some medals are pinned to your soul, not to your jacket. " 
Gino Bartali, Italian hero and winner of the Tour de France in 1938

    See my latest jewelry box.
Soccer coaches, refs, players, check out  Coaches Across Continents
5/6/2024 8:28 AM
Illinois Policy Institute is not what I would call independent or impartial. 

Mitur
5/6/2024 8:22 AM

Based on the search results provided, the effectiveness of speed cameras in Chicago is mixed:


The Illinois Policy Institute study found that 43% of school zone cameras and 51% of park cameras showed an increase in collisions in their vicinity. This suggests the speed cameras may not be improving safety as intended.


However, the City of Chicago's own 2022 Annual Report on the Automated Enforcement Program claims that traffic crash data shows significant decreases in angle, total, and rear-end crashes at intersections with red light cameras[4]. The report also states that average vehicle speeds near speed cameras have decreased by 16.4% since installation[4].


Additionally, a 2022 study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago found that the deployment of speed cameras reduced the expected number of fatal and severe injury crashes by 15%[4][5].


So in summary, the data on the effectiveness of Chicago's speed cameras is mixed. Some studies have found safety improvements, while others have found increases in collisions near the cameras. The city's own data seems to show positive safety impacts, but independent research has raised questions about the cameras' effectiveness. More rigorous, impartial studies may be needed to definitively determine their impact on traffic safety in Chicago[2][3].


Citations:

[1] https://www.illinoispolicy.org/speed-cameras-issue-more-tickets-in-2021-than-chicago-has-residents/

[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/uic-study-speed-cameras-safety-tickets-relationship/

[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/11ykopc/new_study_questions_effectiveness_of_speed/?rdt=35720

[4] https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/cdot/Red%20Light%20Cameras/2024/2022_AE_Report_FINAL.pdf

[5] https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/cdot/Red%20Light%20Cameras/2022/Sutton%2BTilahun_Chicago-Camera-Ticket_Exec%20Summary-Final-Jan10.pdf
5/6/2024 6:40 AM
The speed cameras work!  I use Western all the time and I seem to creep over 35 occasionally and get a ticket!  And then I am extra careful!

Sent from my iPhone
5/5/2024 10:05 PM

I was skeptical that passing a law and posting new signs would result in auto drivers actually slowing down. On today's ride I saw autos that had to be going at least 50mph, rolling through stop signs with out looking and a new law is not going to change that. But an Active Tans rep explained to me that having this lower speed limit on the books opens up additional tools for road designers to modify infrastructure, i.e. narrow roads, install bump outs, additional automatic enforcement (cameras). This is the first step in a process for enhancing safety of everyone on the road.


Regarding comments that the city is just making a money grab with speed cameras, there are so many things we do not have control over (i.e. death, taxes, other drivers), but speeding is not one of them. Let's be clear, no auto driver needs to speed. It's a choice that some drivers make, and if they do, a ticket is the consequence. Technology makes enforcement possible since there are not enough police to do so.


Sharon Kaminecki

773-891-6466
5/3/2024 10:48 AM
Some people would obey the 25 mph speed limit. What percentage of drivers, who knows? But slowing drivers down is good. 

Then the City could set up many more speed cameras. Chicago needs the money.  I think I'm joking, though Chicago does need the money. :-)

Earl

"Good is something you do, not something you talk about. Some medals are pinned to your soul, not to your jacket. " 
Gino Bartali, Italian hero and winner of the Tour de France in 1938

    See my latest jewelry box.
Soccer coaches, refs, players, check out  Coaches Across Continents
5/3/2024 10:13 AM

Without a means of actually slowing people down or enforcing, it means nothing. People fall so let's repreal the law of gravity. And let's not even get into gun laws.

5/2/2024 10:12 PM
I disagree with the proposed drop in the default speed limit from 30 to 25. It’s just not reasonable or enforceable given today’s driving habits. I doubt the legislature will make the proposed  change. 

I do support the second proposal, the one calling for cyclists to be allowed to treat stop signs like yield signs. That’s what cyclists commonly do, anyway. In my opinion it’s a reasonable practice. Still, I doubt that the legislature will make that change. It will seem unfair and risky to the motoring public. 

Timothy A. Weaver
5/2/2024 9:04 PM
I agree. But busses and bicycles should still have a 30 mph limit!  Note that drivers will object loudly. 
And I'm still at a loss to understand why the State House could not get the Idaho Stop out of committee.
Earl

"Good is something you do, not something you talk about. Some medals are pinned to your soul, not to your jacket. " 
Gino Bartali, Italian hero and winner of the Tour de France in 1938

    See my latest jewelry box.
Soccer coaches, refs, players, check out  Coaches Across Continents
5/2/2024 8:12 PM
In my opinion this is a good idea.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2024/05/01/chicago-reduce-speed-limit-25-mph-side-streets
Return to Forum