SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Department of Transportation is unveiling some new tools that they plan to use in cracking down on speeding through construction zones.
Those tools are five photo enforcement vans that will be deployed exclusively to construction zones. They will have clear markings and be equipped with improved technology, including a sign that displays the speed of approaching vehicles.
“We are going to have lidar-based speed detection, which is a huge improvement over our previous contract that had radar speed detection,” said Juan Pava, IDOT Highway Safety Programs Unit Chief. “We have new cameras with much higher resolution, as well as new safety features within the units to keep the troopers who are deploying them safe. We’re hoping that with this new technology, we’ll be able to get better metrics to truly understand the speed issues in work zones and increase the effectiveness of the speed photo enforcement program.”
The vans are part of a program that dates back 20 years. They were mandated for use in construction zones by the Automated Traffic Control Systems in Highway Construction or Maintenance Zones Act in 2004. It’s one of the longest-standing speed photo enforcement programs in the nation.
Through district staff, IDOT determines where the vans will be deployed. Illinois State Troopers staff the vehicles and handle any speeding tickets that are necessary.
The goal is to save lives.
“This is not a revenue generating program. The primary benefit is speed reduction and behavior change,” said IDOT Work Zone Safety Engineer Nathan Peck. “That’s why we use a big white van. We want it to be visible. It’s all about deterrence, presence and visibility.”
Pava and State Police Captain Bill Langheim both said the program works. A 2004 study with the University of Illinois found that the vans cause vehicles to slow down by an average of eight miles per hour, bring them much closer to the posted work zone speed limits.
“When drivers see these vehicles, it slows down traffic,” Langheim said. “These are effective tools.”
