Transportation Advocates Rally For More Speed Cameras Around NYC School Zones
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Transportation advocates rallied at City Hall Monday calling for more speed cameras to be installed in school zones.
Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White said speeding has been reduced by 60 percent around schools that have speed cameras.
But he said there isn't enough of them because of state restrictions. His group is supporting a bill in Albany that would change that, 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported.
"We absolutely must expand this life-saving coverage to all schools so that all kids are protected," he said.
Only 140 schools around the city have speed zones enforced by cameras, which is about 7 percent.
"Yet there are more than 2,000 schools in New York City that need protection," Steely White said. "There are more than 1 million kids."
Advocates also want the cameras to be operating 24/7, not simply around school hours, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer of Queens is also a supporter of the bill.
"I've had people complain to me that they got tickets for speeding outside of a school," he said. "They should get tickets."
White said the goal is not to fine drivers, but to get them to slow down.
"The mark of a successful safety program is not revenue, it's lives saved," Steely White said. "And we know that these cameras are saving lives."