Ernie Fritz spotted the speed-camera car above at 96th street and West End Avenue outside of PS 75 last week. The city operates about 140 cameras to monitor the areas around schools. About 100 of them are mounted at fixed locations, including above traffic signals, and the rest are mounted on city-owned cars that park near schools and change locations periodically.
On the Upper West Side, safety activists have decried the small number of speeding tickets issued by local officers. More speed cameras would likely increase the number of tickets in a hurry — the cameras tend to rack up tickets a lot faster than an officer can. More than 1 million tickets were issued after people were caught on cameras in 2015, versus 130,000 handwritten tickets issued by officers.
The state controls how many speed cameras can be placed in the city, and has historically been reticent to place the cameras. Families for Safe Streets, a group comprised of family members of people injured or killed in crashes has been lobbying for more cameras. Among the people lobbying are Sofia Russo, whose daughter Ariel was killed by a driver on West 97th street in 2013.
Opponents say the cameras are being used as revenue-generators by public officials interested in filling public coffers.
But early results indicate that the cameras do seem to reduce speeding in the areas where they’re placed, according to WNYC.
“If the goal is getting people to slow down, the cameras seem to be working. According to WNYC’s analysis, the number of speeding tickets issued by each camera fell steadily over time.
Crashes dropped, too. In areas where we located installed cameras, there were 13 percent fewer collisions from September through December last year, compared to the same period in 2013. Reducing injuries is the goal, Martinez said, not collecting money. If the program succeeds, people will stop speeding and revenue will fall to zero. Which would be great, he said.”
“Opponents say the cameras are being used as revenue-generators by public officials interested in filling public coffers.”
Easy way to fix this. Don’t break the damn law!
Next time you jaywalk, Siddhartha, remember that you are BREAKING THE DAMN LAW!
Vision Zero 25 MPH speed limits are a joke. Once again, politicians create policies that allow the police state to intrude upon our lives.
MrVeryVerySmart: If I jaywalk, I pose no danger to anyone except myself.
If a car runs a red however, who knows how many could be killed or maimed.
Siddartha, it just isn’t true that jaywalkers only pose a threat to themselves. Drivers do not want to hit pedestrians. They will swerve and slam on breaks to avoid this. That can cause a chain reaction with other cars behind them or traveling on the perpendicular street. Even if there is no accident it can cause traffic to come to a standstill.
So, the worst thing that a jaywalker can cause is a traffic jam?
LOL
So your swerving driver slamming on the brakes and leading to a chain-reaction pileup by a Manhattan elementary school. Was he obeying the speed limit?
If not, why? Didn’t he know he’d get a ticket?
MrSmart, it is legal to jay walk in New York City as long as you do it perpendicular to the curb.
What utter nonsense! Limiting the speed of automobiles on the surface streets of a major city in heavily populated areas is police state intrusions?? Please!
Here’s a new flash: politicians are elected by voters. There are always exceptions, but if they “create a policy” it’s generally a pretty good bet that the policy is favored by more voters than it isn’t.
Case in point: this totally reasonable measure by the City to make all of us safer.
MrVerySmart, are you defending speeding in front of an elementary school?
I agree. Let’s ticket jaywalkers. Let’s ticket cyclists who break the laws. We have to change the culture that has people believing these things are OK.
I’m all for safety but saying this is anything but a money grab is silly.
Does anyone think a speeding ticket is going to prevent dangerous drivers (many on suspended licenses) from getting behind the wheel?
Maybe the city should start managing the flow of pedestrians away from busy access roads to the west side highway.
Have you ever been to Hong Kong or London or any other major international city? These places don’t allow you to cross just anyway.
Um, yes. It’s been proven time and again that if you create incentives, people will change behavior.
If you know that you’ll get a $300 fine every time you run a red, then chances are you’ll stop running reds.
You assume those tickets get paid…
Just as a matter of curiosity and logic: so what if it’s a money grab? It’s not like they’re setting up speed traps; they’re merely enforcing the law.
Vision Zero….Zero Central Park driving. And a lane on Columbus and now one on Amsterdam devoted to bicycles. ‘Zero’ for cars losing lanes, and severely increased congestion. Better off on foot.
And that’s a problem why, in a city that has a pretty robust public transit system?
For those who travel beyond the confines of the City, train and plane travel become more limiting.
It is the rest of this country that needs work on transportation alternatives to the automobile.
What is a speed camera car and how does it work?
Community Board 7 and these so called safety activists have made West End Avenue in the 90’s unlivable. The traffic is worse than midtown with the redesign and the honking horns is constant. The level of fault with pedestrian jay walking is not being accurately reflected. For decades thee hasn’t been a problem and one little cluster with a lot of blame to be laid at the feet of the pedestrians has ruined the lives of thousands and destroyed a neighborhood.