By Hector Montalvo
On Nov. 18, teachers and faculty members received a notification from the administration that speed enforcement cameras had been installed next to Lane.
“Two new speed cameras are in just south of the corner of Addison and Western. Please be careful when driving. Speed limit is 20,” wrote assistant principal, Mr. Ara, in an email to the staff.
According to the City of Chicago website, a first time incident of exceeding the speed limit will result in a warning. Repeating the offense a second time will result in a $35 fine if the speed of the driver is between 6-10 miles per hour (mph) over the posted speed limit. Speeding over 11 mph from the posted speed limit will result in a $100 fine.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, a significant drop in speeding violations result from the implementation of speed cameras—almost a two-thirds reduction of recorded violations.
Some teachers are concerned about the effects of the new cameras in busy streets, especially near Lane.
“I’m concerned that… anybody that’s driving … is going to be more concerned about the speed cameras than the actual physical students who are walking,” said Social Studies teacher Ms. Daifallah. “If I’m concerned about the speed cameras and I’m paying attention to my speed… it’s an issue because I’m not paying attention to the pedestrian.”
She also expressed concern that cameras can infringe on privacy.
“What if it’s just cameras used for monitoring?,” Daifallah said. “I’m more concerned about my options. If it’s just a speed camera. Great. If it’s something else, that’s something that should be noted.”
Daifallah has skepticism about the speed cameras and their potential capabilities.
“And that’s what it is at the end of the day. This is Big Brother, just like George Orwell stated,” she said.
Psychology teacher Ms.Langford also finds issues with the cameras. Langford explains that the cameras causes to traffic to build up as a result of drivers going 20 mph.
“I don’t have a chance to speed,” she said. “It seems around Lane there’s always cars stacked up so I’m not super worried about being nailed around Lane.”
Lane students also have their own opinion on the cameras.
“The speed cameras that I agree with are the [ones] that are directly by schools,” said Jacob Zurkowski, Div.469, who drives to school.
Many students who drive have already received tickets for exceeding the speeding limit.
“I know a couple of my friends have gotten a ticket for speeding, and I already got one too— it was a $65 ticket,” said Zurkowski.
He was warned once by mail, but he was reprimanded as he sped the following day by the same location —by lrving Park and Laramie.
“I feel like I’m in a police state,” said Langford. “I feel as if this is from the future. It’s a slippery slope. It does seem a little bit threatening, but I understand why they’re doing it.”
