Both houses of the New York State Legislature passed legislation yesterday to boost the number of speed cameras in City school zones.
In New York, speed cameras are installed in school zones to capture the license plates of speeding vehicles, allowing law enforcement to easily identify and penalize drivers. The bill, A.6449, sponsored by Assembly Member Deborah Glick (D-East Village, West Village) and co-sponsored by Assembly Member Richard Gottfried (D-Chelsea, Midtown) and State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights) reduces the limitations on the number of schools that can utilize speed monitoring technology, and on the duration for which they can be used.
As of now, there are 140 speed cameras in use around the City; the bill will raise it to 750.
“Congratulations to Deborah Glick & Andrew Gounardes on the passage of your historic speed camera legislation, which will bring 750 life-saving cameras to NY streets,” said City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park). “Now we must ensure that these cameras can be used for bike lane and intersection enforcement as well!”
Gottfried expressed confidence that the new law will make the City safer, citing a 2014 study by the Department of Transportation that school zones with speed cameras reported 63 percent fewer speeding violations and 15 percent fewer crashes.
“The data is clear: traffic safety measures like installing more speed cameras help save lives. They reduce injuries and fatalities for pedestrians, motorists, and passengers,” said Gottfried. “I believe every local government ought to have authority to install speed and red-light cameras without state-imposed limits or need to renew the law. But this bill is a big step in the right direction.”
State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill) concurred with Gottfried, expressing disbelief that the bill wasn’t unanimously voted in.
“This bill passed yesterday will save lives,” Krueger said in a tweet. “Cameras cut traffic deaths by half and speeding by 60%. NYC will have most robust school speed camera program in the nation. Proven, effective, life-saving – I don’t understand why any of my colleagues voted no.”
The law will be in effect until its renewal deadline on Jul. 1, 2022.
