Three remaining sites for red light cameras in Algonquin will have the installations removed by April 30, as the program has been eliminated. This intersection shows the installation at Randall and Algonquin roads.

The Village Board of Algonquin voted unanimously 6-0 to terminate its red-light camera contract, as of April 30, during its regular Jan. 19 meeting.

Cameras installed at the intersections of Randall Road with Bunker Hill and Huntington drives, and Algonquin Road, will be removed by the contractor at no cost to the village. The move is being effectuated as a tangible demonstration of achieved safety goals.

The Maryland-based firm of Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc. was notified by a Jan. 20 correspondence from Village Manager Tim Schloneger’s office. The board’s action had been discussed previously, and on Jan. 12, the village’s Committee of the Whole recommended “the program has successfully changed driver behavior as indicated by the dramatic decrease in violations.”

The meeting minutes also motioned that the “consensus of the Committee of the Whole was to move this forward to the board for approval,” regarding the red-light camera program’s termination. The legislation, and approval, for its demise came fairly quickly.

“These programs, in their implementation, have specific criteria for success,” said Schloneger. “When government enacts a program, it runs forever. Here is a program that has met its objectives. Now, it’s time to eliminate that program. The goal is improved safety of our community, and it’s been demonstrated that the change is permanent.”

Collected data, since 2009, when the red-light cameras were installed at the intersections, showed that 6,937 violations were incurred that year. By the close of 2015, violations had decreased by nearly 75 percent to 1,766 infractions. Vehicular accidents, at the camera-installed intersections, also reflected a dramatic decrease, commensurate with the lessening red-light citations.

Schloneger said the accident data is generalizable to the community overall, since the decrease

of incidents has remained a stable figure.

“We evaluate these intersections, on a village-wide traffic control, for accidents at any intersection,” he said. “We’ll monitor indicators like the accident itself, personal injury, the cause of the crash … those factors are all taken into account.

“At a later date, if it’s determined that the program needs to be revisited because data supports it, then it will be addressed. For now, change has been implemented and the safety of our community is the prime consideration.”

A red-light camera installation that had been in operation at the intersection of routes 31 and 62 was removed approximately two years ago as vehicle counts showed the traffic installation was no longer warranted. It did account for an adjustment in the village’s contract with the Maryland-based Xerox subsidiary firm.

“When the initial contract was executed, it called for a flat fee per approach, meaning per installation, of $4,950 each month,” said Michael Kumbera, the village’s assistant administrator. “There were four installations. But as work progressed on the western leg for the Algonquin Bypass in February 2012, the installation there was not fully operational. The contract was amended to make that approach a flat fee of $1,000 per month.”

According to the village records, the start-up of the four sites was staggered in 2009, and revenues from citations overall netted $154,015. By 2010, when all sites were functioning over the course of the village’s fiscal year (April 30- May 1), revenue intake had increased to $681,964. The FY 2015 collected amount revealed a decrease in citations issued, and a total amount of $262,612.

The current fiscal year ends April 30, 2016, coinciding with the termination of the red-light camera contract.

“This program was never intended for revenue enhancement, it was to increase safety and change behavior,” said Kumbera. “The citations were treated the same as speeding tickets … similar to any other citation related to noncompliance. The program has presently met its objectives and warrants, and that is to increase safety.”

— Algonquin terminates red-light camera contract —