Will Apply to DOT for Rotating Two Approved Cameras to School Zones in His District
(Queens, NY) NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) applauds the passage of a new state law (S.4459A/A.4327A), signed by Governor Cuomo on August 1, which goes into effect on August 31, coinciding with the start of another academic year for our schoolchildren.
The legislation permits New York City to establish a five-year demonstration/pilot program to monitor school speed zones in the five boroughs with speed cameras and allows evidence captured on camera to be used to impose liability for speeding. The new law will enhance the safety of children, pedestrians and drivers in New York City school speed zones by encouraging drivers to drive with caution through these areas and supplement law enforcement efforts to catch violations and prevent accidents caused by speeding.
“I voted for this bill because parents and school officials in my district were expressing to me their concerns about the speeding drivers traveling the streets in their school safety zones that see heavy traffic, but have inadequate traffic-calming measures,” Addabbo stated. He noted that while supporting the speed cameras, the senator still intends to work on crossing guard areas, pedestrian crosswalks, stop signs, traffic signals and speed bumps around school zones.
According to Addabbo, at his constituents’ requests, he joined a rally of parents, students and administrators in June at PS 232, to help keep students safe from injury at arrival and dismissal by speeding drivers at the dangerous intersection outside the busy Lindenwood Shopping Center parking lot, across from the school, at 153rd Avenue and 83rd Street in Howard Beach. Parents from another school in Howard Beach, PS 207, frequently call the senator complaining about speeding cars near their school. Addabbo has requested that both PS 232 and PS 207 be considered for the installation of a speed camera monitoring system.
The new law authorizes the City to set up speed cameras in up to 20 school speed zones in each borough at a given time. It is very similar to the City’s red-light camera program, such as:
- Liability for violations would be imposed upon the owner of the vehicle;
- Violations would be adjudicated by the NYC Parking Violations Bureau;
- The monetary penalty may not exceed $50 per violation, except that an additional $25 penalty may be imposed for failure to respond to a notice of liability within a prescribed time period.
Over this five-year pilot program, the City must conduct a study and submit a report to the governor and state legislature concerning the effectiveness of the program, including:
- The number of crashes, fatalities, injuries in all school speed zones compared with the number in school speed zones monitored by cameras;
- The number of speeding violations in all school speed zones compared with the number in school speed zones monitored by cameras;
- The number of notices of liability issued, the disposition of violations, and the penalties collected;
- Program expenses; and
- An assessment of the quality of the program’s adjudication process and its results.
An inquiry to the DOT Borough Commissioner’s office from Addabbo’s office determined that the initially installed 20 approved speed cameras around Queens (see NYC DOT link for list: (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2013-03-school-speeding.pdf) will be rotated over time, but that such locations are where the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles statistics on crash ratings, posted speed limits vs. speeds clocked, were the highest.
Applications for speed camera installations in different school zones may be made to Queens Borough Commissioner Dalila Hall and may include letters/petitions of support and public comments, as a result of a spike in statistics on speeders, crashes, fatalities and injuries.
In addition to sending such a letter of application to the Queens DOT Commissioner, Senator Addabbo went online to Transportation Alternatives’ website and requested their assistance for the PS 232 and PS 207 speed cameras. An August 14 letter the Senator received from Transportation Alternatives about the issue of installation of speed cameras advised him to visit http://transalt.org/speedcameras to report where speeding drivers are a problem “in your neighborhood”. Transportation Alternatives then agreed to use such responses to present a complete picture of speeding in New York City.
“I know there are a number of schools in my district that face unsafe street conditions each school day. I am prepared to examine every school and every method available to ensure the safety of our schoolchildren,” Addabbo concluded.
