Speed cameras begin catching speeders around NYC school zones

Speed camera at Richmond Avenue and Hylan Blvd in Staten Island

Speed cameras begin catching speeders around NYC school zones | New York Post
By Michael Gartland
February 2, 2014

Smile, scofflaw, you’re on candid camera!
The city has nabbed 900 drivers speeding around schools in the first two weeks of its six-camera crackdown.
At $50 a pop, that’s $45,000 the city Department of Transportation expects to rake in.
The tickets were issued to drivers doing 10 mph or more over the posted limit, which in most cases is 30 mph.
The violations are issued in the name of the vehicle’s registered owner, and do not result in points against the driver’s license or insurance penalties.
“Just two weeks in, DOT’s speed-camera program is putting motorists on notice that we will not tolerate dangerous driving on New York City streets,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “Speed cameras will help save lives and make our streets safer for pedestrians, especially children and seniors.”
The agency will not say where the six cameras in the pilot program are located, saying only that some are stationary, others were moved periodically, and all are within a quarter-mile of a school with a scofflaw problem.
At least three schools eyed for the program were surrounded by drivers who sped 100 percent of the time — PS 233 in Brooklyn, PS 54 in Queens and PS 60 in Staten Island.
At least one camera-generated ticket, according to a political insider, was issued at the corner of Hylan Boulevard and Huguenot Avenue in Staten Island, close to both IS 7 and Tottenville HS. Motorists were clocked speeding 97 percent of the time near the high school in DOT traffic surveys.
Bloggers claimed to identify other speed-camera corners, including White Plains Road in The Bronx; the intersection of Seaview and Pennsylvania avenues in Brooklyn — just a block away from IS 364; and the corner of Blake and Howard avenues, down the street from PS 156.
Police unions have been critical.
“Speed cameras will certainly raise revenue for the city,” said PBA President Patrick Lynch. “They cannot do the job of a live, professionally trained police officer who, having stopped a speeder, may make an arrest for driving under the influence, driving without a license or insurance, or even worse offenses like carrying an illegal weapon.”
The DOT intends to use a total of 20 cameras throughout the city.

NY School Zones Driving Safety  Driving responsibly in school zones.