The Governor Kathy Hochul affixed his signature to legislation (S.5602B/A.10438) that reauthorizes and expands the use of speed cameras in New York City school zones 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Hochul gave the green light to the law during an act in which she was accompanied by the mayor Eric AdamsState Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, and advocates for safe streets for students.
“My number one priority as governor is keeping New Yorkers safe, and that starts with ensuring our children can get to and from school safely,” she said in a statement.
“I want to thank all of the legislators who have worked so hard to make this possible, because New Yorkers don’t just deserve safe streets at certain times of the day. We need to use every tool at our disposal, many of our children have been killed by cars and by not reauthorizing and expanding this life-saving program,” he added.
Currently, the Traffic and Vehicle Law limits the hours of operation for speed cameras in the New York City school zone from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm on weekdays. This legislation renews the authorization for the use of these cameras until July 1, 2025 and modifies the Vehicle and Traffic Law to eliminate the limitation of operating hours.
In 2013, a five-year demonstration program enabled the use of a small number of security cameras near schools in New York City at certain times of the day. This law was renewed and expanded in 2019, and the current extension expired on July 1 of this year.
Regarding the new measure, Mayor Adams stated: “Road safety is public safety, and speed cameras save lives; now we can use this proven tool 24/7. This Monday, we saw once again the reality of road violence in our city. If our streets are not safe, our city is not safe. This is how we protect our streets, save lives and make New York City safer.”
For his part, the Transportation Commissioner of the Big Apple, Ydanis Rodríguez, announced that a detailed plan will soon be released to efficiently implement the initiative.
Representing activists, Families for Safe Streets co-founder Amy Chohen said, “Losing a loved one to horrific traffic violence is something no other family in New York should go through. The pain is indescribable. That is why we work tirelessly to enact policies that end traffic violence.”
85% of New York’s fatal and seriously injured vehicular incidents occur in locations near schools, where state law does not authorize the use of speed cameras.
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