Man Seeks Second Look at Red Light Ticket

Concerned about the impact of a red-light ticket on his driving record and the way officials upheld the citation, John Kannaby wants a second opinion.

The Downers Grove man has filed a request asking a DuPage County judge to review the July 2010 administrative hearing decision that pinned Kannaby with running a red light on camera, records show.

Specifically and bluntly, Kannaby says he was not able to present evidence to prove he couldn't have committed the offense.

"Basically, I was not driving the car at the time," he said, adding that trying to defend himself in the hearing was "just like talking to a wall."

Kannaby, a project manager for the federal government, said he takes the train to his job downtown and typically leaves work at 4 p.m. The ticket was issued around 3 p.m. at Route 59 and North Aurora Road.

His work time sheets prove he couldn't have been at the wheel, Kannaby said.

Most red-light ticket enforcement programs issue violations to car owners, in part, because of the difficulty of identifying the driver. Kannaby acknowledges video of the violation clearly shows his car, but he would not confirm whether a family member was driving.

"That's fine, for 95 percent of the time," he said of citing vehicle owners. " ... I just don't want a moving violation."

A city spokesman was trying to determine if officials had been served a notice of Kannaby's request.

Naperville introduced its first red light cameras in late 2008 and currently has three cameras operating at three intersections — Route 59 and North Aurora Road; Route 59 and Diehl Road; and Ogden and Aurora avenues.

The city touts administrative hearings as a more convenient and cost-effective process, according to the city website. A July 2010 report to the Naperville City Council stated there were 628 tickets challenged in a hearing of the nearly 18,500 issued between April 2009 and May 2010.

Of those 628, only 27 (about 4 percent) resulted in the hearing officer ruling in favor of the driver.