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Speed Cameras Net $16.9 Million From Dangerous Drivers
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 30, 2015
Modified Apr 6, 2015
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 30, 2015
Modified Apr 6, 2015
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Only 57 of the 140 speed cameras Albany promised New York City last year are operational, but in just one year they have issued 445,065 tickets, netting $16.9 million for the City.
The numbers were first reported by Streetsblog in January, but the revenue tally comes from a Freedom of Information Law request submitted by the Daily News; police issued 117,767 speeding tickets over the same time period. The NYPD issued 52% more speeding and failure to yield tickets than they did in 2013.
Of that $16.9 million in speeding ticket revenue generated by the cameras, $5.2 million of it has gone unpaid.
Brooklyn Councilmember Mark Treyger, who wants police to aggressively ticket cyclists for using their cellphones, told the Daily News that he's upset that one of the cameras is placed on Shore Parkway near a Belt Parkway exit ramp. “Not a soul crosses that street," he said.
A spokesman for the councilmember clarified that Treyger wants the camera moved further down Shore Parkway "to meet the goal's intention of improving safety in areas of high volumes of cars and pedestrian traffic."
New York City brings in around $800 million in fines each year, the majority of it coming from parking tickets (~ $500 million). In contrast, New York City's Criminal Courts collect around $20 million each year from fines and summonses for minor offenses, like open container, farebeating, and littering.
Roughly half of the 57 speed cameras are fixed, while others can be placed at different intersections. Per Albany's rules, the cameras must be mounted within a quarter mile of a school, and are only turned on during weekdays one hour before and one hour after school is in session. Three quarters of all traffic fatalities happen outside this window of time. All 140 cameras are expected to be in operation by the end of 2015.
Tagged
fines
pedestrian safety
speed cameras
why are we still driving
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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