Camera Zones Curbed NYC Speeding Cars By 70%, Study Finds

NEW YORK CITY — Motorists took their feet off the gas in New York City's speed camera zones, according to a new study.

Speeding fell more than 70 percent in the city's school speed camera zones, the Department of Transportation study released Friday found.

But officials said those cameras weren't all effective because a state law forbids them from operating overnight and weekends. The study found 30 percent of all fatalities in 2020 occurred when those cameras were turned off.

“We know our speed camera program works to deter speeding, but we can do more," Hank Gutman, the city's Department of Transportation commissioner, said in a statement. "Nearly one-third of last year’s traffic fatalities occurred in school zones when cameras were not allowed to operate, so we continue to call on the state legislature to allow our cameras to operate 24/7 and for stronger consequences for dangerous drivers.”

The study came out as Mayor Bill de Blasio faced a renewed batch of criticism over rising traffic deaths in the city.

Advocates have argued de Blasio failed to fully commit to his Vision Zero plan, which aims to curb traffic deaths altogether. This summer, 77 people died in traffic crashes — the most of any summer during de Blasio's administration.

And the city is on pace to have the deadliest traffic year during de Blasio's two terms.

De Blasio, in a statement, effectively said the speed camera study pointed toward a solution outside the city: the state legislature.

“Speed cameras are an essential tool to fight back against dangerous driving, and state law should not force New York City to keep our city safe only some of the time,” he said. “We’re proud to have one of the biggest speed camera programs in the world, and it’s time for Albany to let us operate them 24 hours a day. Anything less is unfair to everyone else who uses our streets.”

Mayor de Blasio highlighted findings from a landmark Department of Transportation (DOT) report on the City’s speed camera program today as he urged State leaders to allow New York City to operate the cameras 24 hours a day. The DOT’s annual Automated Speed Enforcement Program report, which covers data from the speed camera program’s inception in 2014 through December 2020, highlights its continued success at curbing speeding by over 70%. However, analysis of 2020 fatalities showed that nearly 30% of all fatalities occur in speed camera zones during the hours they are not allowed to operate: overnight and on weekends.

“Speed cameras are an essential tool to fight back against dangerous driving, and state law should not force New York City to keep our city safe only some of the time,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re proud to have one of the biggest speed camera programs in the world, and it’s time for Albany to let us operate them 24 hours a day. Anything less is unfair to everyone else who uses our streets.”