As strong an advocate as he is for the banning of red-light cameras across the state, Illinois state Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) has mixed feelings about how things are actually playing out.
“I’ve always been opposed to them, so I’m glad to see the bipartisan effort now underway to get rid of them,” Plummer told the Metro East Sun. “That being said, it bothers me that it took all the corruption still being uncovered in Springfield to stir this kind of movement.”
A bill now sponsored by state Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) seeks to remove nearly 100 of the devices across the state. House Bill 322 would outlaw red-light cameras in non-home-rule communities and is now slated to go before the full House for a vote. Passage would mean removal of red-light cameras in at least 45 of 101 communities, or 92 of the 607 cameras operating in the state.
“These cameras were never about public safety,” Plummer added. “They were always about dinging taxpayers and creating a revenue stream for the government to have at its disposal. That’s just the way it’s been.”
Former Illinois state Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) recently pleaded guilty to taking a bribe of $250,000 from one of the state’s biggest red-light camera companies in exchange for favorable voting on the issue.
In one instance, Sandoval intervened with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to pave the way for the installation of cameras that took in about $5 million a year from drivers at an intersection IDOT had deemed to be safe.
In all, Illinois Policy Institute estimates that red-light cameras have accumulated more than $1 billion in revenue since first being installed a little more than a decade ago.
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