So on Tuesday, we made an April Fools’ joke about how Chicago is going to set up tolls and speed cameras along DuSable Lake Shore Drive. It was by all means a joke—but apparently not that far-fetched of a joke. Sorry to our readers. We didn’t write this into existence, and if we did, again, we are sorry.
On Thursday, Illinois lawmakers introduced a new proposal to install AI speed cameras along the busy stretch of DuSable Lake Shore Drive, aiming to prevent reckless driving in high-crash areas.
However, there’s no need to fret—at least right now. The initiative is still in its early stages, and it won’t be implemented overnight.
State Senator Sara Feigenholtz has filed a bill requesting the University of Illinois at Chicago to conduct a study on how speed cameras and AI traffic technology could reduce speeding and accidents on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
The proposal follows Senator Feigenholtz’s statement that there have been more than 15,000 crashes on North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, a staggering number, avering around seven crashes per day.
The SB1507 initiative would involve commissioning studies to evaluate the effectiveness of speed and AI cameras in reducing crashes and road fatalities and then use that information to create solutions for DuSable Lake Shore Drive.