Controversial Red Light Cameras Still Inactive Until Court Decides Who Has Jurisdiction

OAK BROOK, IL — The red light cameras at the intersection of route 83 and 22nd Street were installed despite fierce opposition from the Village of Oak Brook, but they have not been active since they were installed. The cameras will stay off until a decision is reached in a lawsuit filed by the Village of Oak Brook in January.

Nearby Oakbrook Terrace had been granted a permit from the Illinois Department of Transportation to install the red light cameras after IDOT initially rejected the same request. The cameras were installed just outside the boundary of Oak Brook, so they’re technically in Oakbrook Terrace, but the intersection itself is within the boundaries of Oak Brook. Chicago Tribune reports that IDOT officials say they're waiting to use the cameras until courts decide who has jurisdiction of the intersection.

Oak Brook officials argued that the cameras could affect business in Oak Brook and asked for a review of traffic through 2017 before the red light camera installation. The cameras were installed despite protests and Oak Brook filed a lawsuit in response in January.

Oakbrook Terrace has since made a motion to dismiss the case, but Oak Brook has yet to respond, according to Chicago Tribune. Guy Tridgell, director of communications for IDOT told Chicago Tribune that the red light cameras will not be turned on until a decision is reached in the matter of jurisdiction.

The next court date for the lawsuit is May 30.

>>Image credit: Joe Ravi [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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