City got nearly $8 million from 77,000 tickets issued with yellow lights shorter than the city standard
Confronted with questions about a flurry of red light camera tickets stamped with yellow times below the 3-second minimum, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration said the fluctuation of hundredths of a second was normal — imperceptible to anyone behind the wheel of a car.
It turns out that fraction of a second makes a big difference to drivers and to the city’s coffers.
The Emanuel administration on Friday acknowledged that it had changed the rules on what qualifies for a $100 ticket, quietly directing its new red light camera vendor to tag drivers even when the duration of a yellow light slips just below the 3-second standard set by the city.
The policy generated 77,000 more tickets and nearly $8 million in revenue for the city over the last six months.
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3 comments:
As long as whatever the time the yellow light is set for is long enough for a vehicle to physically stop...they should mark where the 'stop from here' point is - then it is up to the driver. If the yellow light time isn't long enough for a junk-mobile that passes inspection, the tickets can be beat in court...if you're willing to fight it....
Physics can be your friend or enemy!
We have had yellow lights for many years , just obey the law ,
make sure you stop on red . It's very easy , just do it. 10:19 , thanks for you insight , I'm impressed .
Our society is only as complex as you make it.
I might add , taking anything to court with our present judicial system is a joke. If you ran a red light , you are guilty .
Just do what most have done in small towns. When the light turns yellow and your the lead car and close enough to the intersection slam your brakes. Sooner or later they'll have an increase of accidents at the intersection and the cameras will be removed.
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