Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/13/1371.asp

10/3/2006

Red Light Camera Ordinances Challenged
Motorists are challenging red light camera ordinances in South Dakota and Chicago, Illinois.

Motorists are challenging red light camera ordinances in South Dakota and Chicago, Illinois.

On Friday, Bloomingdale, Illinois resident Parveen Idris filed a suit against Chicago claiming the automated ticketing system was, "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable in that the ordinance makes irrelevant whether the penalized party actually violated a red traffic signal." Idris had been billed $90 for running a red light in January, even though he was out of the country at the time.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota resident I. L. Wiedermann is mounting a similar challenge to his city's camera program. Wiedermann also argues that the devices deny due process to ticket recipients. A circuit court refused to hear his case yesterday and Wiedermann will be forced to file it as a class action lawsuit. To date, the program has raised $1.4 million in revenue for the city of 144,000.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals struck down a Minneapolis red light camera program last month, and two Ohio judges canceled automated enforcement in Girard and Steubenville earlier this year.

Source: Red-light camera law fought (Chicago Tribune, 10/3/2006)

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