Even more speed cameras may soon become a reality, which is the greatest nightmare of Staten Island drivers.
Gov. Kathy Hochul presented the FY 2024 Executive Budget proposal for New York on Wednesday. The budget included legislation that, if approved, would permit the MTA to install speed cameras at the agency’s numerous bridges and tunnels, including the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The legislation does not impose a limit on the number of speed cameras, allowing them to be deployed “as appropriate,” although the agency must give priority to placing cameras at crossings that experience the greatest number of accidents and speeding drivers.
Unlike the school zone speed cameras in New York City, which impose a fixed fee of $50 for each infraction, the MTA’s speed cameras impose fines that rise over time, starting at $50 and rising to $75 for the second infraction and then to $100 for the third and any future infractions.
If a violation is not paid by the specified deadline, an extra fine of up to $25 may be applied.
If passed, the legislation wouldn’t go into effect for another year, giving drivers some time before the MTA could start installing it.
If speed cameras are placed, the first 30 days of operation would be spent issuing written warnings to motorists rather than fine-carrying offenses to inform them of the new program.
Each day that a camera is in use, it must pass a self-test of its features and undergo annual calibration checks.
A MTA representative called the plan a “good step” toward lowering crash rates and enhancing traffic safety while highlighting the dangers that speeding motorists face on the agency’s busy crossings.
The crossings of MTA Bridges and Tunnels act as crucial thoroughfares for the NY Metro Region. Speeding drivers put other cars on the road in danger, as well as MTA employees and contractors doing essential work as traffic levels reach record highs.
The proposal by Governor Hochul to allow speed camera enforcement on our crossings is a step in the right direction toward safety and will add to the decline in collisions we have observed since the implementation of Open Streets.
Speed cameras have long been a contentious issue on Staten Island, with some praising their safety advantages and others decrying them as nothing more than a city official’s plot to generate income.
Since it was first passed in 2013 and put into effect in 2014, when just 20 mobile camera units were exclusively issuing tickets during weekday school hours, the city’s school zone speed camera program has advanced significantly.
Following a recent expansion in August, there are currently more than 2,000 speed cameras posted throughout the five boroughs that issue tickets to drivers every day, every week, and every day of the year.
On August 1, New York City’s speed cameras switched to 24-hour operation and started issuing fines all the time.
Prior to the August extension, speed cameras could only be used during the week beginning at 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The speed cameras, which must be installed within a quarter-mile radius of a school facility, are still required to issue $50 fines to motorists who exceed the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour, along with other fundamental elements of the program.
The speed cameras in New York City began continuously capturing images and issuing fines on August 1.
Speed cameras were only permitted to be utilized before the August extension during the weekdays at 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Along with other essential components of the program, the speed cameras, which must be placed within a quarter-mile of a school building, are still mandated to impose $50 fines on drivers who violate the posted speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour.
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