City To Install 20 Speed Cameras Near Schools
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - State lawmakers have voted to allow New York City to install 20 speed cameras, all of which will go up near schools.
As WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported, winning support for the cameras took three years of lobbying from city officials.
The initial 20 cameras will be set up near schools where speeding in a problem. The city has identified 100 such locations, Lamb reported.
City To Install 20 Speed Cameras Near Schools
"The cameras are mobile, so we'll be able to move them around and address high-speed locations that may change over time. And, again, expand the area that we're able to cover," said City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. "Any school with excessive speeding is fair game."
The first round of cameras will be installed near schools where it's been documented that at least 75 percent of drivers broke the speed limit, the city announced.
Drivers caught by the cameras going at least 10 miles per hour above the speed limit will be subject to a fine of $50.
The 20 cameras across all five boroughs will be the city's first speed cameras. The city already has red light cameras installed at a number of intersections.
According to the city, traffic fatalities have dropped by 30 percent over the past decade. The traffic fatality rate is half that of other major cities, according to city figures.
In late May, 4-year-old Ariel Russo was struck and killed by an SUV as she was being walked to pre-kindergarten at Holy Name School on the Upper West Side.
And in February, a 6-year-old boy was struck and killed as he crossed the street on the way to school in East Harlem.
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