NYC DOT Vision Zero
Oct. 8, 2019 By Allie Griffin
The city issued more than $10 million in speed camera violations in Queens alone in the first six weeks after the program’s expansion this summer.
During the first six weeks following the program’s July 11 expansion, the city mailed out more than 200,000 tickets to Queens drivers caught speeding in school zones — and more than 500,000 tickets across all five boroughs, according to city data.
At $50 a ticket, the city has made millions off the program’s massive expansion in less than two months.
The cameras take photos of drivers going more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit in a school zone and then the city mails $50 violations to the registered owner of the car.
In Queens, drivers received 205,373 violations from July 11 to Aug. 22, according to the latest City data — that’s equal to $10,268,650 in less than two months.
For the year ending June 2019, drivers in Queens received 371,546 speed camera violations and paid $18,577,300 in fines. In just 43 days since the expansion launched, drivers in Queens have already paid more than half that amount.
In total, the city collected more than $28 million in the 43-day period or $455 per minute as the Staten Island Advance reported.
On July 11, the city began the program’s expansion to increase the number of school zones with cameras from 140 zones to 750 zones.
By the end of August, the number of school zones with cameras was at 360 and the Department of Transportation plans to install about 40 to 60 new speed cameras a month to increase the number of zones and reach its 750 goal by June 2020. There can be multiple cameras per zone.
In addition to the new cameras, the program expansion also mandated that speed cameras now operate year-round on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., including the summer and school breaks. That’s about double the program’s previous hours, in which cameras were only active during school hours.
The city first introduced speed cameras in 2013 with just 20 school zones. The next year, the state authorized the program to expand to 140 school zones.
The DOT says that the program has saved lives. From 2013 through 2018, the DOT reported a 60 percent drop in speeding infractions in school zones where the cameras had been installed. The agency also said there was a 21 percent decline in the number of people killed or severely injured in crashes within the zones.
The total cost of the massive expansion is $62 million and DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg has previously said she expects the program will pay for itself through the fines.
The original 140-zone speed camera program brought in $45 million in revenue in 2018. With more than $28 million already collected in less than two months since the expansion began, this year is likely to pass that number quickly.
Drivers in Queens received the second-most violations, behind drivers in Brooklyn, according to NYC Open Data. Queens was followed by the Bronx, Manhattan and then Staten Island. Together, Brooklyn and Queens account for nearly 75 percent of all speed camera violations.
While the DOT has not released where the speed cameras are installed, city data lists intersections where drivers have received speed camera violations.
Featured Events
28 Comments
What is this money being used for?
Webster’s Dictionary definition of “Fleece the publics”: “During the first six weeks following the program’s July 11 expansion, the city mailed out more than 200,000 tickets to Queens drivers caught speeding in school zones — and more than 500,000 tickets across all five boroughs, according to city data.”
AlBundy always has horrible comments but wow, that’s a new one
This is a cash grab opportunity. 10 p. M. most kids are in bed. Hope the revenue go to MTa or public housing
the revenue gets stolen by deblasio and his crony wife. how do you think he got the millions to run for prez?
In Miami the fine is $158 plus points on your license if you are late to pay so you guys in NYC have it great up there
all you need to do is alter your plates. one or two letters that cannot be read will get you off the ticket.
“$455 per minute as the Staten Island Advance reported. ” Translation: Every minute 9 drivers in New York City are recorded blowing through red lights or speeding in the tiny fraction of city intersections that have speed cameras.
Driver here drive like animals. No regard for human. Go to Europe for once and see how people are more considerate. They don’t even litter on the street because they feel guilty.
I don’t support reckless driving but a “school zone” on queens blvd.. a 6 lane highway with a speed limit of 25mph makes no sense, just saying
I wish they would get rid of the cameras. If I don’t drive aggressively I don’t make money in my Uber.
Great news. And next lets fine the excessively loud motorcycles and cars that for no reason up us up all night. When will someone make that a priority in this city?
same goes for reckless bikers. ticket them for red lights, driving the wrong way and on the sidewalks. With 10% actually obeying the law we can make more $.
Good. Slow down or pay up. Your choice.
Good, use the money for more bike lanes.
If they claim it’s school zone, why is the speed cameras snapping pictures during non-school days, weekends, or middle of the night?
It’s not legal to speed on non-school days, weekends, or middle of the night.
And if drivers are accustomed to speeding on a street during off hours, they will speed on it when they drive it during school hours.
Children going to school are not the only people using these streets.
While the camera systems “flash” at speeding drivers 24/7, tickets are only issued during the programs hours/days. No-one has presented any evidence to the contrary.
Every time I have seen a car “flashed”, even outside of the program’s parameters, the car immediately slowed down. IMHO, this has to be a good thing because speeding is NEVER a good choice.
Because there’s before school, after school, Saturday academy, clubs, basketball games/whatnot… Summer school…
Ya see…? These politicians will use some sob story to add revenue opportunities.
As I see all the cameras going up, all I can think of, is the book we all had to read in High School, George Orwell’s 1984! Watch out Big Brother is truly watching! Or shall I say “DeBozo” is! Let’s be honest — this has nothing to do with safety! It’s simply yet another way to pick our pockets, once again! He’s all about the fines! And don’t even get me started about the exponential rise in property taxes! 25 is a ridiculously slow speed limit in a city with a dense population, that has been historically been driving 30 mph or more — of course we’re gonna speed! Additionally, the hours have been expanded on the cameras just so there’s more opportunity to fine us! Can’t wait for DeBozo’s term to end!
This is not about safety. Speed bumps are more effective but they don’t bring in revenue. Follow the money.
Let’s add those too!
Not on my block, day and night you hear Slam Bang as they race over the speed bump. Hasn’t helped one bit.
Yeah but these people apparently have money to pay for their dropped trunk to be fixed when they take the speed bump too fast. The ticket also shows on their license, right?
Heck yes,
Making our streets safer.
I feel no pity for reckless dirvers. If you don’t want to pay the fine, then don’t break the law. Hopefully, it will cause these drivers to change their behavior for the better.