What to Know
- Speed cameras could be coming to a nearly 12-mile stretch of Northeast Philadelphia's Roosevelt Boulevard by the end of the year.
- The Philadelphia council bill calls for tickets to any drivers going 11 mph above the posted speed limit.
- Bill sponsor Cherelle Parker cites safety as the main reason for trying to slow down drivers on the Boulevard.
A warning for drivers who go above the speed limit on Philadelphia’s busy Roosevelt Boulevard, you could soon be nabbed by technology.
Philadelphia Councilwoman Cherelle Parker, D-9th District, introduced a bill last week that would authorize the installation of speed cameras along a stretch of Route 1 in Northeast Philadelphia where 8 percent of all Philadelphia crashes involving death or serious injury occurred.
The cams, which would automatically take photos of speeding vehicles, would be placed at seven to 11 locations along the nearly 12-mile stretch of road from 9th Street to the Bucks County line, according to Parker’s office.
Fines would start at $100 for any driver going 11 mph over the 45 mph posted speed limit. The fine increases to $125 for 21 to 30 mph over the limit and $150 for 31 mph or more over the limit.
The hope is that the camera-enforced ticketing will make the Boulevard safer as part of the city’s Vision Zero plan to reduced traffic deaths by 2030. The boulevard is one of the “most dangerous” roads, Parker’s office said while referencing PennDOT stats of 139 people killed or seriously injured in nearly 2,700 crashes from 2013 to 2017.
“The tragic stories of people being killed or seriously injured on Roosevelt Boulevard have become all too common, but this doesn’t have to be the case,” Parker, whose district includes two miles of the Boulevard, said. “We know that speed is especially deadly for people walking and biking, and that if we can get motorists to change their behavior and slow down, we can reduce crashes and save lives.”
Once implemented, speeders would only get warnings during a 60-day grace period. Warnings signs would be installed in the vicinity of the cameras to warn drivers.
The council bill comes on the heels of Pennsylvania Senate Bill 172, which allows for speed cameras along the Boulevard. House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. John Taylor, R-Philadelphia, helped get the legislation passed in the State House last year.
Parker’s council bill, which is co-sponsored by Council President Darrell Clarke and members Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Cindy Bass, is to be considered in the coming weeks. It calls for installation of the cameras before the end of the year.
