Chicago City Wire

A new study by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) reveals that red-light cameras on Chicago’s South Side issued more than triple the number of tickets per intersection compared to those on the North Side.

“These red-light cameras impact Chicago minority and low-income communities most," Patrick Andriesen of IPI wrote.

'Without any clear safety benefit, red-light cameras are reduced to cash grabs by city governments. When speed camera revenues dropped, Mayor Brandon Johnson broke his campaign promise to eliminate them and instead is adding 50 speed cameras to boost revenue by $11.4 million."

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson | Twitter / Brandon Johnson

The program began in 2003 at two intersections: Peterson and Western on the North Side, and 55th and Western on the South Side. According to a City of Chicago government website, additional intersections have been added based on crash frequency, crash type, and crash severity, as well as community input and Aldermanic support. As of 2021, 149 intersections were fixed with the cameras.

A 2022 ProPublica report echoed IPI’s findings, concluding that the city’s camera system disproportionately affects minority populations.

It’s been hit with a billion dollars in penalties over the last 15 years, contributing to thousands of vehicle impoundments, driver’s license suspensions and bankruptcies, according to ProPublica’s analysis.

The pandemic widened the ticketing disparities. Black and Latino workers have been far less likely than others to have jobs that allow them to work remotely, forcing them into their vehicles more often. In 2020, ProPublica found, the ticketing rate for households in majority-Black ZIP codes jumped to more than three times that of households in majority-white areas. For households in majority-Hispanic ZIP codes, there was an increase, but it was much smaller.

The study saw similar racial and income disparities in camera ticketing have been documented elsewhere. Miami, in fact, cancelled its program in 2017 amid complaints from low-income residents who felt unfairly burdened by the fines.

Chicago is home to more red-light cameras than any other large city in the nation. In total, these cameras generated over $601 million in revenue by issuing red-light tickets between June 2016 and May 2025.

A study from Case Western Reserve University in 2018 suggested while the number of T-bone collisions decreased with the use of red-light cameras, the number of non-angle collisions, such as rear-enders, increased by 18% – leading to more crashes overall.

A Chicago Tribune investigation revealed that the Illinois Department of Transportation had determined more than half the intersections selected for red-light cameras were already among the safest in the state before installation.

“Chicago leaders should look at what the cameras do to their low-income residents and to the city’s reputation. Will they add more of these robo-cops in pursuit of more money or eliminate the red-light and speed cameras that prey on low-income Chicagoans?” Andriesen wrote.