The State Senate ended its legislative session in June without reauthorizing the speed camera program, Comptroller Stringer is mobilizing New Yorkers to get the program reinstated.
With less than two weeks before NYC students return to school, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer on Tuesday gathered representatives of advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, school parents and students to launch a petition demanding the reinstatement of the school zone speed cameras program.
The State Senate ended its legislative session in June without reauthorizing the program that put speed cameras in school zones to prevent dangerous driving in the area. As a result, the first 120-speed camera school zones were deactivated and stopped issuing summonses to drivers speeding in school zones on July 25. The final 20 cameras will also go dark on August 30, days before students begin their school year.
"State Senate Republicans have made it clear that they're not going to listen to hard facts and data showing that speed cameras save lives in school zones," said Comptroller Stringer. "If the Senate GOP fails to act, make no mistake about it: We will remember they allowed over a million students to begin their school year in an environment more dangerous than when they left."
The New York City Department of Transportation is still collecting speed data from deactivated cameras and recently found that 132,253 drivers have been observed exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour during school hours since the cameras were shut off.
An analysis on reckless drivers released by Stringer in March found that over 121,000 NYC vehicles received more than five tickets for speeding near schools and running red lights in just 26 months alone. The comptroller's report also found that since 2016, over 3.5 million tickets have been issued to drivers caught by traffic cameras speeding through school zones or running a red light.
"In 2013, my friend, Lucian, was hit and killed by a reckless driver - he was only nine years old. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him," said Zane Walker, a 14-year-old student who lives in Brooklyn and attends high school in Manhattan. "Since Lucian was run down, more than 45 other kids have been killed by reckless drivers on New York City streets. All these kids had friends and families, too. Speed cameras save lives and they could have saved Lucian's life."
To sign the petition, go here.
