State legislation that would approve hundreds of speed cameras in school zones is expected to be one of the first items lawmakers take on when they return to the Albany, the Associated Press reports.
Last year, the City successfully petitioned state leaders for permission to install 20 speed cameras in school zones as part of a pilot project.
And although traffic fatalities have dropped in New York City from 701 in 1990 to 381 in 2000 to 249 in 2011, Mayor Bill de Blasio argues more can be done to curb what he calls an "epidemic" of traffic injuries and deaths.
This year's proposal, which has the support of Cuomo and other top lawmakers, would expand the pilot program within the city where traffic cameras are already used to catch motorists who run red lights.
And while the new cameras will undoubtedly fatten government coffers, supporters insist protecting schoolchildren is their primary motivation.
