Red light cameras at six intersections across the city were deactivated Friday, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
The decision to remove the cameras was based on the recommendation of a Northwestern University Transportation Center study of the program, as well as community feedback, CDOT said in a release.
The study, released in March, found that six of Chicago’s 151 camera-equipped intersections were not delivering the expected reduction in crashes after the cameras were installed.
Data showed that the intersections registered a high number of violations, but there was no corresponding decrease in accidents, according to the NUTC.
Those six intersections, which each had two cameras, include:
• 95th Street and Stony Island Avenue
• Western Avenue and 71st Street
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• Western Avenue and Pershing Road
• Grand Avenue and Oak Park Avenue
• Irving Park Road and Kedzie Avenue
• Peterson Avenue and Pulaski Road
The cameras were deactivated as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, CDOT said, adding that the equipment will be removed and sidewalks restored in the coming weeks.
In May, CDOT held meetings with residents of the areas around the intersections to discuss the removal of the cameras. Under city ordinance, CDOT is required to hold a public community meeting before any red-light camera is installed, removed or relocated.
As part of this effort, CDOT continues to schedule additional meetings across Chicago, a list of which can be found here.
The study also identified five other intersections where the installation of two red light cameras could improve safety, according to CDOT.
Those proposed intersections, which will be the subject of upcoming community meetings, are:
• Wacker Drive and Lake Street
• Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard
• Dearborn Avenue and Grand Avenue
• Central Avenue, Foster Avenue, Northwest Highway and Milwaukee Avenue
• Pershing Road and Martin Luther King Drive
Per the study’s recommendation, the city also extended the grace period in which drivers are not ticketed when passing through a light that has just turned red from 0.1 seconds up to 0.3 seconds.
