According to a new report, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s official SUVs have racked up multiple traffic tickets after running red lights and speeding.
Two of the mayor’s SUVs have been ticketed three times for speed camera violations, and were also issued two warnings just in the past month, CWB Chicago reported.
As of last Friday, the tickets remain unpaid. “The city’s finance office confirmed that none of the fines had been paid as of July 22,” said the outlet.
One of the vehicles was also ticketed for running a red light, and two that were previously used to transport the mayor’s security detail have unpaid speed and red light tickets.
According to CWB Chicago, the SUVs have accumulated tickets since May 2021, totaling $658, and none have been paid.
Despite her own fleet repeatedly violating traffic laws, Lightfoot has pushed for stricter red light camera rules.
She has pushed to lower the so-called “buffer zone” threshold that speed cameras allow before issuing a citation from 10 mph down to 6 mph.
“No one likes speed cameras. I get it,” Lightfoot said at the time. “But this is life or death that we’re talking about here, and we’ve got to step up as a city and address this”.
Since lowering the threshold, the City of Chicago has issued 3.8 million tickets, amounting nearly $80 million, reported Fox News.
Two of the speeding incidents that CWB Chicago cited were committed by the mayor’s vehicles in school zones, and the citations stated that children were present.
Last July, one vehicle sped past Orr Academy High School doing 43 mph. In Feb. 2020, another vehicle was caught driving at 39 mph next to Jones College Prep. Children were present during both violations.
“Yet another Lightfoot hypocrisy,” said Alderman Raymond Lopez, who is running to replace Lightfoot. “Saying motorists need to slow down while her taxpayer-funded motorcade continues to rack up speed and red-light tickets”.