City Council passed a bill that keeps the speed cameras activated for 30 days, giving the State Senate time to reinstate the program.
New York City Council has created and passed a bill yesterday to reactivate the city's 140-speed cameras that went dark after the NY State Senate ended its legislative session in June without reauthorizing the program. The move followed an executive order issued by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday.
"The bill will create a local speed camera program that will maintain what has worked and will improve on the existing one," said Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez who chairs the Transportation Committee. "Better enforcement and better street design save lives."
Since the program expired, more than 100,000 drivers have been caught speeding by the cameras, but no tickets have been issued.
The bill establishes a speed camera program that will not have a cap on the number of cameras that could be operated and will give the city flexibility with regards to the hours of operation to address safety concerns near schools. Under the new legislation, drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour in a school speed zone, will be liable for a $50 penalty.
"The Senate Republicans have made it clear that the safety of kids just isn't that important to them," said Council speaker Corey Johnson who co-sponsored the bill. "The time for playing politics is over. I promised that we would do everything in our power to make sure kids were safe on the first day of school, and I am proud that we were able to make this happen today."
The plan keeps the cameras activated for 30 days, giving the State Senate more time to reinstate the program. Mayor Bill de Blasio will sign the bill into law next Tuesday.
