NYC Speed Cameras to Run 24/7

By Hamodia Staff

New York City’s speed cameras will begin operating 24/7, starting Monday.

The city’s 2,000 automated speed cameras, which are only in school zones, were previously authorized by the state to operate only on weekdays, between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM. But a new state law allows the cameras to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the City Council subsequently passed a bill to indeed have the cameras run 24/7.

The city says that since the start of the speed camera program in 2014, speeding violations are down 72 percent on average at camera locations in the 750 school zones citywide during the hours they operate. The city also says that 59 percent of traffic fatalities occur during times the cameras are off.

“New Yorkers deserve to be safe on our streets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and keeping our cameras on is a critical step in that direction,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Speed cameras work: They save lives, reduce speeding, and help protect New Yorkers all across the city.”

Opponents of the speed cameras argue that government simply uses them as a revenue source.

“New York should just be honest with people that this has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with a cash grab,” said Councilman Kalman Yeger (D — Boro Park/Midwood), who voted against the bill. “A reckless driver doesn’t get stopped by getting a bill in the mail. Cameras don’t target recklessness. They target wallets.”

“The speed cameras initially were a money grab, and just another way to tax New Yorkers,” said state Sen. Simcha Felder, a fellow conservative Democrat whose district overlaps with much of Yeger’s. “Now the city has figured out a way to take their money 24 hours a day.”

A speed-camera fine is $50.

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rborchardt@hamodia.com