Politics & Government

Drivers Beware: Speed Cameras Landing in Bucktown, Near Wicker Park

Three speed cameras are headed to the Bucktown and Wicker Park area—see where you need to be more cautious on the road.

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Andy Ambrosius, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

The City of Chicago announced Friday is plans to install 50 new speeding cameras by the end of the year, with one landing in Bucktown and another just south of Wicker Park.

The automated speed enforcement—or ASE—cameras are a part of Chicago’s Children’s Safety Zone Program, a move to increase safety and reduce speeding around school and park zones.

Bucktown's camera is planned for Burr Elementary School at 1621 W. Wabansia Ave. It'll join other nearby cameras like at Roberto Clemente High School just south of Wicker Park at 1147 N. Western Ave. and another at Humboldt Park, 1400 N. Humboldt Dr.

Installation is predicted before the end of the year. 

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View an interactive map of all 50 speed cameras here.

“The Children’s Safety Zone Program protects children and other pedestrians by reminding motorists to slow down and obey speed laws – particularly in school and park zones,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein. 

Find out what's happening in Bucktown-Wicker Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Under state law, Chicago has the right to install up to 300 speed cameras around safety zones like public parks, so more may still be coming.

The logistics of the program work like this: 

  • Enforcement hours are limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in safety zones around schools on school days (Monday through Friday).
  • From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.—20 mph speed limit when children are present; a 30 mph speed limit when no children were present. 
  • From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.—30 mph speed limit.
  • Enforcement hours for cameras around parks are generally from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week and with a speed limit of 30 mph.
In terms of fines, for the camera's first 30 days only warnings will be issued to motorists. The first violation will also be just a warning. For your second or subsequent violations, fines look like this:
  • $35 for vehicles traveling 6 to 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit while in a safety zone
  • $100 for vehicles traveling 11 or more miles over the posted speed limit  
The entire program is a five-year contract at a cost of $67 million to install the cameras and while Mayor Rahm Emanuel has maintained that the program is simply about safety, the city could potentially make millions of of tickets, the Chicago Tribune reports. 

In the details of the program released by the city, the funding could be used for a wide variety of projects. Some like crossing guards, after-school programs and more police officers around schools seem to fit in with the "for the kids" bent of the camera initiative. Others, like traffic safety improvements and signage are a bit more open-ended. 

Another layer of the program is the locations of the cameras. Emanuel says the program is aimed to protect children and is not just a revenue generating effort. 

However, as the Tribune points out the ordinance limiting cameras to within one-eighth of a mile from schools or parks, yet that wording allows cameras in about half of the city. 

During a pilot test of the cameras, about 10 percent of all passing cars could have been cited for speeding. It has been predicted that the potential 300 speeding cameras could bring in hundreds of millions in revenue. 

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