The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced today that Automated Red Light Camera Enforcement (RLC) cameras are being activated at the junction of Central, Milwaukee, and Foster Avenues. The cameras will be turned on Friday September 29, but violations will not be issued for the first two weeks, until October 13. The installation of the four cameras follows a community meeting held on June 14.

CDOT has posted new signage on the approach to the affected intersections to let motorists know that the cameras have been installed. Failure to stop at red lights in the area will result in $100 fines starting on October 13.

One set of two cameras has been installed on eastbound Foster Avenue at the intersection with the south-east bound Northwest Highway. A second set of two cameras is located at the intersection of southbound Central and southeast bound Milwaukee Avenues.

The placement of these cameras follows the release in March of a Northwestern University Transportation Center study on the effectiveness of Chicago’s RLC program. One of the key findings was that the program delivers safety benefits that can be enhanced if the City relocates a small number of the existing cameras and moves them to other intersections where they likely to be more effective in improving safety. Based on the recommendation in the Northwestern study, in March the City proposed that four cameras be moved from other existing RLC intersections and placed at Central, Milwaukee, and Foster.

In order to further improve safety and the flow of traffic, CDOT has also modernized traffic signals at these intersections and nearby locations. Eight additional traffic signal heads have been installed at the intersections where the RLC’s are installed to improve signal visibility. A left hand turn arrow was installed at the intersection of Milwaukee and Foster for vehicles turning left onto Gettysburg. New signal controllers have been installed and pedestrian countdown timers have been activated at the five intersections that make up the overall junction. Finally, all stop bar markings and RLC signage at the new RLC approaches will be inspected and maintained on a monthly basis.