After switching vendors on its red light camera program last spring, the city of Chicago has had difficulties enforcing tickets (and thus, traffic laws) because of fluctuating times for yellow lights.
"A before-and-after analysis of photographic evidence and interviews with experts suggests the transition to a new vendor last spring was accompanied by a subtle but significant lowering of the threshold for yellow light times," reports David Kidwell.
"City hearing officers have noticed the trend and are increasingly tossing tickets because the yellow light time stamped on the citation is less than the 3-second minimum required by the city, the Tribune analysis showed."
Xerox State & Local Solutions took over the program in March after a bribery scandal brought down the previous vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc.
FULL STORY: Shorter yellow times are now the ticket
Chicago Settles Red Light Camera Lawsuit for $37.5 Million
Opponents of red light cameras have achieved a major victory against the Rahm Administration in Chicago.
Editorial: Reform, Don't Ban, Red Light Camera Programs
The Chicago Sun-Times responds to two Illinois state legislators who have recently proposed bills that would ban red light cameras statewide.
Slow Drivers Can Be Punished for Hanging Out in the Fast Lane in Minnesota
Minnesota is the latest state to enact fines for a law already on the books requiring slow drivers to merge right. As such laws gain popularity, it's time again to consider the sometimes counterintuitive facts of traffic safety.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service