Police crack down on Dan Ryan speeders

May 22, 2006 (WLS) -- Although it may seem like the Dan Ryan is backed up all day, there are times when traffic volumes are low - and - motorists are driving too fast. To keep things in check, state police are starting photo radar enforcement.

Illinois state police are not trying to keep it a secret. The white van, parked on the shoulder in the Dan Ryan construction zone, has a message board that tells you your speed as you pass by...but if you're speeding, it's too late, because inside, the photo radar enforcement is giving you a ticket.

"As a car comes within 150 to 180 feet of the van, if it's speeding it'll capture a picture of the driver of the vehicle and as it drives away it'll capture the rear license plate," said Capt. Peter Negro, Illinois State Police.

Troopers inside the van go through a series of criteria, making sure the pictures are clear and in about a week, the speeding ticket along with the two pictures are sent out in the mail. This past Saturday the photo enforcement van was on the Dan Ryan and in two hours it picked out 250 violators.

If photo enforcement isn't enough to slow drivers down on the Dan Ryan, state police have another tool they'll be adding next month. The motorcycle patrols, already ticketing speeders on the toll way construction zones, will begin enforcing motorists on the Dan Ryan the week of June 5th.

And there's more Dan Ryan news. Beginning Wednesday morning the ramp from the inbound Stevenson to the inbound Dan Ryan will close for 6 weeks -- another reason to keep using a detour.

"Travel times are creeping up; at 5:30 in the morning we're seeing travel times of 30, 35, 40 minutes inbound on the Ryan; people are falling back into their old patterns," said Tim Martin, Illinois Secretary of Transportation.

The true test will be this holiday weekend, when traffic volumes will be very high for the Memorial Day getaway.

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