Chicago speed cameras issue more than 1 million tickets in 4 months

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There has been a huge spike in Chicago speed camera tickets, more than 1 million issued in a 4 month period since the new law lowering the speed at which you can get ticketed took effect.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the I-Team found a massive amount of new violators since laws to catch speeders became tougher.

The I-Team also found where the most speed cam tickets are being issued.

On March 1 the city of Chicago enacted a law saying if you go over 6 mph above the speed limit you can get a ticket from a speed camera

Speeding 6 mph to 10 mph over the limit gets a $35 fine; 11 mph or more over the limit stays at $100.

In the four months the new law went into effect, more than 1 million tickets of any type have been issued.

That's more than double the 424,000 issued during the same period in 2020.

"There is no reason to lower the speed limit to 6 miles an hour other than to raise money," said Mark Wallace of Citizens to Abolish Red Light Cameras. He also opposes the speed camera laws. "I've had people contact us who have gotten multiple of these tickets before they even knew there was enforcement."

A Hyde Park camera has been the number one money generator recently; 536 E. Morgan is inside Washington Park near the Dusable Museum of African-American History.

From March to June, this one site alone amassed nearly 23,000 tickets for drivers going 6 to 10 miles over the speed limit and 5,700 tickets for going 11 or more miles over the speed limit.

"This is outrageous what the city is doing," Wallace said.

Mayor Lightfoot said in a statement that the lower-speed change was due to "an alarming increase in vehicle speeding and traffic fatalities." Cameras affected are in "Children's Safety Zones, which are operational near schools when they are in session and children are present, and in parks during hours when they are open."

The city said its goal is to not issue tickets, but to encourage safer driving behavior. However it is undeniable that hundreds of thousands of new violators are creating a huge revenue generator.

List of the top ticket-issuing camera locations:

536 E MORGAN DR: 22,751 tickets

4831 W LAWRENCE AVE: 16,592 tickets

4909 N CICERO AVE: 14,284 tickets

4124 W FOSTER AVE: 12,437 tickets

1111 N HUMBOLDT: 11,932 tickets

3200 S ARCHER AVE: 11,053 tickets

1142 W IRVING PARK: 10,683 tickets