In Crestwood, Illinois, significant upgrades have been implemented at a notorious south suburban intersection, once criticized as a “red-light camera trap.” This intersection, located at Cicero Avenue and Cal-Sag Road, has undergone transformations that have garnered positive feedback even from its harshest critics.
Nine years ago, the ABC7 I-Team first uncovered the controversies surrounding this intersection, which has since been the focal point of a class-action lawsuit. The ongoing issues had drawn ire from drivers and traffic safety experts alike, who labeled it a trap for unsuspecting motorists.
However, recent developments have brought about a change in perception. On Wednesday, the I-Team reported that significant modifications have been made, including the installation of new red-light cameras. These changes have enhanced the safety and functionality of the intersection, earning commendations from those who were previously critical.
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What was once a source of frustration for many now stands as a testament to effective improvements, highlighting the potential for progress when communities and authorities work together towards common goals.
New red-light cameras are up and clicking, but there are other major changes to the south suburban Crestwood intersection at Cicero Avenue and Cal-Sag Road.
Mark Wallace/ Citizens to Abolish Red Light Cameras Nat 2:14 “They’ve completely re designed this turn..”
Mark Wallace from Citizens to Abolish Red Light Camera showed the I-Team the improvements.
“They’ve completely redesigned this turn,” Wallace said. “In this right turn lane, there was not a signal here before at all. And they were actually giving tickets to anybody who turned in this lane. So, they didn’t have a signal like they have now.”
Those signals on the right also have right-turn arrows. The white stop line is clearer, too. Drivers now approach it sooner. The other line was farther down the curve.
“This is where people would come up, and they would creep up… and they would make a turn if they thought it was safe but there as no traffic signal,” Wallace said.
In 2017, the I-Team reported on this and other suburban intersections that drivers called confusing: Designated right-hand turn lanes with a curve. The intersections had traffic lights to the left but no traffic signals to the right. And when drivers creep up the curve, they may not be able to see the light.
One traffic expert the I-Team talked to said the intersections violated federal guidelines in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. That’s because the traffic lights were outside of drivers’ “cone of vision.” The Illinois Department of Transportation maintained the intersections met federal and state standards.
Crestwood leaders had always disagreed, and now Mayor Ken Klein says the changes were not due to criticism. IDOT says it widened three area intersections, installed new traffic signals, ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps and new striping.
Wallace believes it’s the village’s response to a pending class-action lawsuit filed in October of 2017, after the I-Team’s reporting.
“They should refund every dollar that they received,” Wallace said.
The old cameras that generated that money were removed in 2023. Data obtained by the I-Team shows they racked up more than $17 million between 2016 and 2022. In a Freedom of Information Act request, the village said it couldn’t tell ABC7 how much revenue has been generated since the new cameras were installed in early 2026, after the intersection improvements, saying those citation reports “have not yet been reconciled.”
The class-action case to recover money from the former intersection is slow going.
Crestwood has not commented on the lawsuit but has filed a motion to dismiss. However, the case is still active.
Year Total Municipality Revenue
2016: $899,412.00
2017: $3,112,064.37
2018: $3,413,381.04
2019: $3,232,511.59
2020: $2,472,188.30
2021: $2,198,139.99
2022: $1,841,171.81
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