New York City to launch 24/7 speed cameras starting Monday night

NEW YORK — From Monday evening, thousands of speed cameras in New York will begin operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But as CBS2’s Marcia Kramer discovered, this is just the start of a new “pedal to the metal” push to crack down on unsafe drivers.

Last year, speed cameras issued more than 4.3 million tickets, and that was when they were only on 16 hours a day, five days a week.

Imagine what will happen now.

A ceremonial flip of the switch signaled that all systems were working, a green light for the expansion of the city’s speed camera program. From Monday evening, 2,000 speed cameras in 750 schools will operate 24/7 for the first time ever.

“A city that never sleeps deserves a camera system that won’t nap,” Mayor Eric Adams said.

But the seemingly never-sleeping mayor said he was unhappy with the program. He wants it extended to traffic hotspots, not just school zones.

“When we identify places where there are problems, that’s where we should put the cameras, and then we should use some of the mobile technology that allows us if we have a particular hot spot in a particular place, let’s move “It’s out there. We shouldn’t be afraid of technology,” Adams said.

Now that the cameras are operational, Albany lawmakers say the next step is to dramatically increase the number of red light cameras.

State Senator Andrew Gounardes told CBS2 he wants to go from zero to 60, so to speak, by increasing the number of red light cameras. Right now, there are only 150. He calls it “laughable.”

Gonardes added, “I want to start with at least 1,300. That would give us about 10% of covered intersections in New York. There are 13,000 intersections in the city. Why should only 1% of them be covered with a red light? Speeding, running red lights, taking quick turns, all of these things contribute to fatalities.

Monique Williams, whose father was killed by a speeder in the Bronx last year, praised the city for keeping speed cameras running 24 hours a day.

“I can’t describe the pain our family is feeling and how much we miss him. Nobody else should go through what I went through. Nobody else should feel the pain of having to lose a loved one. expensive,” Williams said.

Authorities say 143 people have been killed in crashes on the city’s roads so far this year. They insist that drivers who get a $50 speeding ticket learn their lesson and stop speeding. Transport Department Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said more than 75% never got a third ticket.