You are reading

Speed Cameras to Operate 24/7 Beginning Aug. 1

Speed cameras will begin to monitor drivers’ speeds around the clock starting Aug. 1 (NYC DOT Vision Zero)

July 31, 2022 By Czarinna Andres

The city’s speed cameras will be in operation 24/7 starting Aug. 1.

The 2,000-plus cameras that have been placed across the five boroughs will be snapping photos 24/7 beginning Monday. The City will be issuing $50 tickets to drivers who are pictured going more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit no matter the time of the day.

The cameras are all located within school zones, where they are within a quarter-mile radial distance of a school.

Under the current program, the cameras are in operation from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and are turned off completely on weekends. Legislation, however, was passed in Albany in May—and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul last month—to expand the program to be 24/7.

Advocates for the cameras say that they need to be on 24/7. They point to DOT data that indicates that 31 percent of on-street traffic fatalities occur in camera zones at times when the cameras are not permitted to operate.

Speeding, according to city officials, has also decreased on average by 72 percent in the areas where the cameras are placed.

“New York City and a coalition of advocates worked hard and traveled often to Albany to get this full-time speed camera authorization passed,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “We have hard data that show speed cameras save lives.”

Councilmember Julie Won—who represents the western Queens neighborhoods of Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside—said that it is imperative in terms of street safety for the cameras to be operating 24/7.

“In the past year, seven people lost their lives and over 1,100 more were injured in my district alone,” Won said.

“No mother should lose their child or grieve a parent that was lost too soon in traffic violence. Street safety cameras are a proven way to reduce deaths and injuries in school zones. Turning them on 24/7 will ensure the safety of children and other vulnerable New Yorkers.”

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

LaGuardia’s new Terminal B wins major awards from two leading environmental organizations

Jun. 2, 2023 By Bill Parry

Not only is the finished product aesthetically pleasing to the eye that presents a vast improvement for traveler experience, the new $4 billion Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport is also a model of sustainability for such large-scale construction projects in the future. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the developer and manager of Terminal B, on June 2 announced that the completed project has won prestigious awards from two leading international environmental institutions.

Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade honors fallen heroes

May. 30, 2023 By Gabriele Holtermann

Rain or shine, the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, touted as the largest Memorial Day parade in the United States, has been a staple of the quaint Queens neighborhoods since 1927. Thousands lined the parade route under clear blue sky along Northern Boulevard from Jayson Avenue in Great Neck to 245th Street in Douglaston on May 29 to honor the brave men and women who answered their call to service and made the ultimate sacrifice while defending their country.