BILL NUMBER: S8344
SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend chapter 189 of the laws of 2013, amending the vehicle
and traffic law and the public officers law relating to establishing in
a city with a population of one million or more a demonstration program
implementing speed violation monitoring systems in school speed zones by
means of photo devices, in relation to making technical corrections and
extending such provisions related thereto; and to repeal certain
provisions of the vehicle and traffic law relating thereto
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To renew New York City's school zone speed camera program
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Sections one through four make technical changes to the vehicle and
traffic law.
Section five extends the authority for NYC to operate a school zones
speed camera program through July 1st, 2030.
Section six sets an immediate effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Speeding motorists continue to put bikers, pedestrians, and other vehi-
cles in unnecessary danger in New York City. The New York City Depart-
ment of Transportation (NYC DOT) reports that the risk of pedestrian
death from being struck by a speeding vehicle increases from 5% at a
speed of 20 miles per hour to 45% at a speed of 30 miles per hour. From
2001 to 2023, more than 200 people were killed in crashes within the
five boroughs where speeding was a major contributing factor, and speed-
ing often goes hand in hand with other reckless behavior like red light
running.
Chapter 189 of the Laws of 2013 established a five-year demonstration
program to allow a small amount of speed safety cameras to be used near
schools in New York City at certain hours of the day. This law was
renewed and expanded most recently with the passage of Chapter 229 of
2022, which eliminated the restriction that only allowed cameras to
operate between the hours of 6:00am and 10:00pm during the week after
DOT reported steep declines in speeding infractions in locations where
speed safety cameras had been installed, benefitting all pedestrians and
other road users in the surrounding area and not simply schoolchildren
in the mornings and afternoons.
In its latest annual report on the program, DOT reports that speeding in
locations with cameras has fallen by a stunning 94% on average, result-
ing in record-low levels of pedestrian deaths. Seventy-four percent of
drivers receive no more than one or two tickets a year, suggesting that
the cameras are efective at deterring repeat behavior, and school zones
with speed cameras in NYC saw 14% fewer injuries and fatalities than
control locations without cameras. In 2023, more than 97% of tickets
were issued to drivers going between 36 and 45 miles per hour, and 50%
of tickets were issued to vehicles with registrations outside of New
York City and not to local residents. This bill renews New York City's
wildly successful school zone speed camera program until July of 2030.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate

Statutes affected:
S8344: 237 vehicle and traffic law, 237(13) vehicle and traffic law, 237(12) vehicle and traffic law, 239 vehicle and traffic law, 239(4) vehicle and traffic law