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.”
Featured Events
21 Comments
I like this and wish they would include sound meters that take photos of loud vehicles.
Very good. We need more cameras and speed bumps. Drivers use the side streets and avenues like a racetrack. It’s out of control.
Hope this also captures drivers smoking weed. City should ticket them also. Every couple of cars there is a cloud of smoke coming out of a car.
Mike- WhT an exaggeration. Are you with Laura AKA Hashtagger?
Good. Add some speed bumps, while you’re at it.
Agreed! One every 27ft, with crossing guards and a safety auditor at each one!
That will teach those pesky drivers to think twice before they ignite their planet destroying automopeople killers. Just tax them more!!
With your smoking grass, Mary Jane or otherwise.
Try again.
This will help catch criminals. Its free surveillance from the city. I like it. Hope the NYPD makes use of it. Major crimes continue to soar in NYC.
Always a money grab. They will get used to the new source of income and find a way to squander it aswell.
Sorry you can’t live out your Paul Walker fantasy.
What does an actor who passed away have to do with NYC squandering money?
This isn’t about safety, it’s about revenue for a state that’s continuing to go broke…
Please remember this when you vote in November, folks.
This only affects people who go over the speed limit in residential neighborhoods. Smart people will drive more slowly; those who don’t care will continue to contribute to NYS’s revenue stream. My only suggestion would be to double the fine to $100.
I’m also looking forward to the sensors that take a photo of vehicles with their engines modified if they’re too loud and those drivers receive a summons by mail. We should continue to vote for leadership that thinks progressively.
David,
I think your points are on task, however, there is one flaw. We haven’t had (nor are we likely to have in the near future) anyone who would be considered ‘leadership’ quality.
Furthermore, “progressiveness” is what got us into this mess in the first place (i.e. insert any corrupt business practice and/or politician)
I love Sunnyside, Queens, and NYC. We’ve had flawed leaders, but I think they’ve done a pretty good job. I don’t see an established link between corruption and progressive thinking, nor do I believe we are in a mess. If you want to live in a conservative city that wants to hold on to yesterday, NYC is not for you. We have always been progressive, out front, and ahead of everyone else.
how does that help with racers cover their plates?
Drivers regularly drive faster than the speed limit, they aren’t “racers” just normal people. They cause the majority of speed-related accidents.
You…really didn’t know that?! ?
By the same logic we can’t ID bicycles. Even if plates were required, they’d just cover them right? So why even bother? Great logic! ?
No, the reason we don’t require bikes to have plates is that they’re not motor vehicles. More bicycles and fewer motor vehicles would greatly benefit Queens. There are some bike riders who behave disrespectfully but the vast majority are not a source of danger to pedestrians.
Well let’s see, e-bikes, scooters big and small All have motors. Not a danger to pedestrians? Have you seen the way most off them get around. Going the wrong way against traffic, going through red lights, riding on the sidewalk. Not only is that a danger to pedestrians but motorists as well. Take your blinders off