Her choice of such strong words has led many to believe that the already-financially struggling city will, most likely, be required to refund the fines and fees paid by thousands of motorists. In addition, she declared all such tickets to be void, as the lawsuit continues. She rejected the motion, harshly indicating that she believes that Chicago is consistently violating “fundamental principles of justice, equity, and good conscience” in its handling of camera-related violations. While there has been no final verdict in the lawsuit yet, last week’s ruling was issued by Judge Kennedy in regard to the city’s motion to dismiss the case. The suit further claims that late fees are being applied to fines inappropriately, failing to adhere to the timeframes and grace periods provided in the law. Attorneys for the claimants maintain that the second notice is a necessary step in the process to ensure a suspected violator’s right to contest the citation prior to being found financially liable. The lawsuit against the city, however, indicates that second notices are not being sent to motorists and the liability determinations are being made too quickly. According to Chicago city code, if the owner fails to respond, a second notice is to be sent to the vehicle owner prior to the determination of liability-which is essentially a default judgment of guilt. When a vehicle is caught breaking the law by a red-light camera or speed camera, the city is supposed to send a Notice of Violation to the registered owner of the vehicle. By violating the city code, Judge Kathleen Kennedy ruled, ticketed motorists were denied due process and the proper ability to contest their issued citations. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed almost a year ago by three named plaintiffs, alleging that the city violated its own municipal codes in the process of ticketing and collecting fines related to red-light and speed-cameras. ![]() The city is now facing the possibility of being forced to refund millions of dollars collected in fines from motorists who were ticketed as a result of being caught on camera. The mayor booted Redflex out and gave the contract to Xerox instead-three federal prosecutions connected to Redflex quickly followed.As more and more communities around the country continue to install cameras at intersections and other areas of traffic concern, a Cook County judge has found major problems with the program in Chicago. Until 2012, the network of cameras was operated by Redflex however, an investigation by the Tribune found that the company’s interactions with Chicago officials were actually corrupt. “By accepting the recommendation of the academic team, we are giving the benefit of the doubt to well-intentioned drivers while remaining focused on the most reckless behaviors.”Īccording to the study, which was conducted by Northwestern University Transportation Center and funded by the city, Chicago has the largest installation of red-light cameras anywhere nationwide, with 306 cameras at 151 intersections. “We want to emphasize that extending this enforcement threshold is not an invitation to drivers to try to beat the red light,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld also said in the statement. Michael Claffey, a CDOT spokesman, confirmed that figure to Ars. On Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that the city would lose $17 million in revenue this year alone as a result of the expanded grace period. ![]() In a statement, the city agency said that this increase would “maintain the safety benefits of the program while ensuring the program’s fairness.” This will bring the Windy City in line with other Americans metropolises, including New York City and Philadelphia. ![]() Under the new policy, which was announced Monday, the grace period for Chicago’s red lights will move from 0.1 seconds to 0.3 seconds. Further Reading Red-light camera firm pays Chicago $20 million to settle bribery caseIn the wake of recommendations that were part of a recent study of its red-light cameras, the Chicago Department of Transportation has agreed to immediately increase the so-called “grace period”-the time between when a traffic light turns red to when a ticket is automatically issued.
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