Big Brother's bureaucratic cousin

City plans camera surveillance web :

Surveillance cameras on two CTA buses operating during rush-hour downtown have nailed 217 motorists parked or stopped in bus stops and bus lanes during the first three months of a pilot crackdown that got off to a late start.
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On May 25, after an on-the-road test, cameras were finally turned on during the morning and evening rush hours on a pair of No. 20 Madison buses operating downtown.

Already, 217 violations have been issued at $90 a pop. That's $19,530 generated by cameras operating during limited hours on buses that represent one-tenth of 1 percent of the CTA's fleet.

"It doesn't surprise me at all. I see that all the time. If two buses are recording violations at that pace, I'm sure the violations are spread out throughout the city at the same pace," said Ald. Tom Allen (38th), chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee.

"If bus lanes are being blocked with illegal parkers, that screws up traffic royally and it's a disservice to everyone else trying to get through the streets. It makes people crazy and leads to a vicious circle of crazy driving. I don't care if the police or a robot write 'em up. They should get a ticket."

CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said transit officials will decide whether to ask aldermen for authority to expand the program once the experiment expires Nov. 3.

The price of equipping two CTA buses is pegged at $73,000. That includes two sets of cameras for each bus, a "GPS interface viewing station" and a special printer to freeze video images later mailed to motorists.