NYC about to turn on speed cameras 24/7
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Speed cameras across New York City will begin operating 24/7 starting Monday and officials hope the move will reduce the number of serious accidents and deaths.
All 2,000 automated speed cameras around the five boroughs currently run between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays. The Department of Transportation says 59 percent of traffic fatalities happened when the cameras were off.
Sudan Muhammad, an Ozone Park resident, is in favor of the change.
“I think 24/7 is good because people speed 24/7 and lot of times kids are playing around because there are a lot of schools especially in this neighborhood, so I’m pretty sure that the speed cameras will help a lot,” Muhammad said.
A state law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul grants the right to keep the cameras on 24 hours a day, including on weekends.
DOT officials also say that speed cameras and automated traffic enforcement reduce speeding by 72 percent.
DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement: “Overnight and weekend crashes have become far too prevalent in recent years, and we are so grateful that state legislators heard our call for 24/7 speed-camera coverage. We thank the mayor for his support as we put together an aggressive plan to get this critical law up and running. As we make the nation’s largest automated enforcement network even more effective, we will get out the word about this new law, which will allow us to start saving lives on our streets as soon as possible.”
If you do speed, expect a $50 ticket in the mail.