Speed cameras reduce speeding by 60% but are only allowed at 140 schools
TODAY, Today, Wednesday, May 25th, Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, along with Council Members Vanessa Gibson, Brad Lander, and Ydanis Rodriguez introduced a resolution calling on Albany to lift the cap on the number of speed cameras allowed near schools in New York City. Twenty-three additional Council Members have signed on to the resolution.
Speeding cars are the leading cause of traffic deaths in New York City, and every year, car crashes kill more children in New York City than any other type of injury. Currently, Albany only allows speed cameras at 140 schools, leaving students at the remaining 1800 schools unprotected. In locations monitored by cameras, DOT reports a 60 percent reduction in speeding violations. Lower speeds save lives: a person hit by a car travelling at 30 miles per hour has a 45 percent chance of dying. If the car is travelling just fifteen miles per hour faster, the pedestrian’s chance of death is a staggering 85 percent.
“Speed cameras are a simple, effective way to save lives and make our streets safer,” said Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “We’re calling on Albany to step up and do the right thing. By allowing New York City to install speed cameras at every school, we can slow cars down and keep our children safe.”
“We’ve lowered the speed limit in school zones for a reason: speeding in front of schools puts children’s lives at risk,” said Council Member Vanessa Gibson. “Speed cameras in school zones have been a proven deterrent against reckless driving; speeding is down by 60% in front of the 140 schools that are lucky enough to have these cameras. All of our children deserve this enhanced safety measure and I urge Albany to approve speed cameras for all New York City Schools. I thank Transportion Alternatives for their continued advocacy and Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer, Brad Lander, and Ydanis Rodriguez for joining me in supporting this important issue.”
Council Member Brad Lander said, “We’ve made significant progress towards achieving Vision Zero, but we’ve still got a long way to go. Lower speeds save lives, and putting speed cameras in front of all, not just some, of our schools is a simple step we can take to protect students across NYC and make our streets safer for everyone. Legislators in Albany have a chance to step up and save dozens of young lives across NYC. We call on our state legislators to protect our kids and support safer streets at every NYC school.”
The proposed speed cameras would be installed outside of schools in New York City and would operate 24 hours per day. If the camera detects a car driving more than ten miles per hour over the speed limit, it will take a picture of the car’s license. Drivers will receive a $50 ticket and no points on their license.
“We thank Majority Leader Van Bramer for once again showing true Vision Zero leadership by sending a message to Albany that now is the time to act on this lifesaving legislation,” said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “We have more than a million public school students across the five boroughs, but having only 140 speed cameras leaves 93% of our schools unprotected. And turning those cameras off after school hours leaves kids across the city vulnerable to dangerous speeding when they use school playgrounds and ball fields in the evenings and on weekends”
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