As Beverly Speed Cameras Continue To Rack Up Tickets, One Camera Could Be On The Move

BEVERLY — Two years after three speed cameras were moved in the 19th Ward, local officials are considering relocating another one. 

The 19th Ward — which includes Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood — is home to four speed cameras: 10540 S. Western Ave., 1732 W. 99th St., 2700 W. 103rd St. and 3843 W. 111th St. 

Each camera is within 660 feet of a school or park, a requirement under state law. In May 2024, the cameras on Western, 103rd and 99th Street were moved to their current locations from other areas in the ward. 

The relocated cameras were moved to “high-risk intersections” based on new crash data from the Chicago Department of Transportation and “several requests from residents, business owners and school leaders,” Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) said at the time.

The cameras, especially the one on Western Avenue, immediately began racking up speeding infractions.

But the camera in the ward that has racked up the least violations — the one on 99th Street — could be moved to help tackle traffic safety issues elsewhere in the area, O’Shea said.

Western Avenue Camera A Cash Cow

In its first year in operation, the Western Avenue camera had 11 days where it recorded over 1,000 speeding violations. It holds 73 of the 200 all-time largest single-day totals for violations enforced by a single camera, according to data from the Chicago data portal.

Two years later, the Western Avenue camera continues to rank among the cameras issuing the most speeding tickets.

From July 2025 to July 2026, the camera near King-Lockhart Park, 10609 S. Western Ave., is third in the city in violations issued, with 76,499. 

It trails only cameras at 3358 S. Ashland Ave. in McKinley Park with 125,201 infractions and 5857 N. Broadway in Edgewater with 102,818, city data shows.

The 99th Street camera servicing Ridge Park has not had the same boom in tickets in the past year. From July 2025 to 2026, the camera has issued 2,897 violations. The 103rd Street camera servicing St. John Fisher Elementary School has issued 9,161 over the past year, and the 111th Street camera servicing the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences has issued 3,107.

With the 99th Street camera having the least violations, O’Shea said his office has asked CDOT to explore moving that camera. The department was asked to look at two locations along 111th Street: near Morgan Park Academy, 2153 W. 111th St., and near St. Cajetan Elementary School at the intersection of 111th Street and Campbell Avenue. 

O’Shea said family and staff from Morgan Park Academy and St. Cajetan Elementary School have reached out to his office regarding adding a camera. 

“Both have high volume of traffic in the morning rush and in the afternoon, and both have a significant amount of students who are crossing the street,” he said. 

Traffic Issues Near 2 Local Schools

In an email, Phyllis Cavallone-Jurek, Morgan Park Academy head of school, said the administration is open to any steps that would encourage safer driving on 111th Street near the school.

“You don’t have to spend long at morning dropoff or afternoon dismissal to understand why this matters to [Morgan Park Academy] families,” Cavallone-Jurek said. “Our community has been concerned about speeding along 111th Street for a long time, and we welcome steps that reinforce safe driving around schools.” 

O’Shea said he started hearing from concerned parents and staff from St. Cajetan after the school’s crossing guards were cut by Chicago Public Schools last August, as reported by the Beverly Review. St. Cajetan Principal Michelle Nitsche did not return requests for comment. 

David Waterman, whose 12-year-old son is a student at St. Cajetan, said parents took turns acting as the school’s crossing guard on 111th Street and Campbell Avenue last year.

Waterman, who lives in the 2500 block of 109th Place, said crossing 111th Street is dangerous for children to get to school and to nearby Kennedy Park.

“From Western to Kedzie [on 111th Street], it’s wide open,” Waterman said of traffic on the street. “They are going to football practice every day or baseball up there or whatever when the weather is nice. It’s a little daunting.”

While Waterman feels the city’s speed camera system is trying to “cash in” on residents, a camera on 111th Street and Campbell would help keep children safe, he said.

“That is like the main crossover area for a lot of families to get to Kennedy Park, to get to St. Cajetan,” he said.

O’Shea said he first asked CDOT to look into the 111th Street options based on requests to his office this spring. He told Block Club he has not heard back from the department. 

“It would be logical to move the least-ticketed [camera] to a location that we need to add a buffer to protect the kids,” O’Shea said.

CDOT spokesperson Erica Schroeder said no decisions have been made about potential camera relocations within the 19th Ward. Schroeder said the department is continuing to analyze data following the installation of 50 speed cameras across the city last year.

“CDOT will work closely with aldermanic offices as it identifies potential relocations,” Schroeder said in a statement.

Speed camera locations are determined through a data-driven process that considers crash history, speeding data, community concerns and eligibility under state law, Schroeder said.

Under Illinois law, speed cameras may only be installed within safety zones, defined as areas within 660 feet of a school or park. When evaluating potential relocations, CDOT reviews locations on a case-by-case basis, considering safety needs, feasibility, geographic equity and longstanding community requests.