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The Windy City has cracked down on speeding. A report garnered by the Illinois Policy Institute states that 2.8 million fines were given out to Chicagoans in 2021, while there are only 2.7 million residents. This increase in ticketing is due to a slight change in the system that locals might not be aware of.
According to Advantage News, Mayor Lori Lightfoot lowered the ticket threshold from 10 mph to 6 mph last year.
"The city of Chicago's financial problems are so bad and its taxes are already so high that when they are trying to raise the revenue they try and look for alternatives to just raising the property tax or sales tax," IPI policy expert Adam Schuster told Advantage News.
A third of these speeding cameras have been placed in low income areas on the South Side. Those who are ticketed for going 6 mph over the speed limit receive an initial fine of $35, and those ticketed for going 10 mph over are charged $100. Failing to pay the $35 fine results in a $50 price increase.
Between Chicago's 160 speeding cameras, the city brought in $89 million in revenue. According to Advantage News, that is $245,331 a day. $59 million of the total revenue was due to the ticket threshold being lowered.