The City of Chicago is making millions of dollars on drivers going just slightly above the speed limit.
More than two years ago, Chicago started citing drivers going only 6-10 miles per hour over the limit. While some say streets are now safer, the overwhelming majority of revenue is coming from people breaking that controversial 6-10 miles per hour over the limit rule.
The city’s 162 speed cameras are placed near parks and schools and they’re making millions on drivers going 6-10 miles per hour over the limit.
When they were first introduced, before 2021, speed cameras in Chicago only ticketed drivers going 10mph or more over the speed limit. The city issued $35 tickets to vehicles traveling 10 mph over the limit and $100 tickets, for exceeding the limit by 11 mph or more.
But in March of 2021 former Mayor Lori Lightfoot added a rule, allowing $35 dollar citations for drivers going 6-10 miles over the limit.
60% of tickets come from those driving 6-10 miles per hour over the limit, generating almost $121,700,000 for the city. Compare that to about $63,500,000 made from only 11% of speed camera tickets that come from drivers going 11 miles per hour, or more, over the speed limit. The remaining 29% of tickets are warnings with no cost to drivers.
The city council had a chance to reverse Lightfoot’s rule in July 2022, but the measure failed by a vote of 26 to 18.
The City’s department of finance collects money from tickets and the Chicago Department of Transportation runs the speed camera program.
The city said in the first year after the new threshold went into effect there was a 15% reduction in the number of tickets for vehicles traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. They said in the second year of the new law, there was a 2% reduction in tickets issued for going 6-10 miles per hour over the limit.
Last year the city launched the Clear Path Relief Program, providing low-income motorists who qualify an opportunity to reduce speed camera fines and other vehicle-related debt.
Data on Chicago speed camera revenue
-5,783,898 tickets from March 1, 2021 to April 5, 2023
-635,941 tickets issued for speeds over 11 mph, bringing in $63,500,750
-3,481,349 tickets issued for speeds between 6 and 10 mph, bringing in $121,681,975
-Remainder of tickets were speed warnings, $0
-$121,507,015 were collected from $35 tickets.
