Philadelphia leaders are calling the pilot program for speed cameras on the Roosevelt Boulevard a "success" for curbing traffic deaths stopping speeding.
The 12-mile stretch of the Boulevard, which cuts through Northeast Philadelphia, was originally chosen for the red light cam program due to the amount of speed-driven crashes.
In total, 32 cameras were set up with the intention of issuing fines of $150 per offense to anyone going 11 mph over the speed limit on the 12-lane roadway.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Here are the stats on the impact of the red light cameras
- Deadly traffic crashes went down by about 50% in the first seven months after the cameras went live in June 2020.
- From June 2020 to May 2022, about 900,000 tickets got issued.
- Speeding violations dropped by 93% from June 2020 to January 2022.
The idea is to request funds from the state to continue with the project after 2023, which is when the Roosevelt Boulevard Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) contract expires.
Mayor Jim Kenney and other state and local officials called Tuesday for the speed camera program to be extended beyond its 2023 expiration date. He also wants there to be more speed cams in the city.
"The success of Automated Speed Enforcement here on Roosevelt Boulevard cannot be overstated," Kenney said. "Even as traffic crashes rose in late 2020 in Philadelphia and across the country, the Boulevard saw 200 fewer crashes in the first seven months.
“New legislation, at the state and local level, is needed to keep these cameras operating, bring the success of Automated Speed Enforcement to other corridors throughout our city and save lives.”
The Philadelphia Parking Authority administers the Route 1 speed camera program and its chairperson Beth Grossman echoed Kenney's call for a permanent speed camera program.
"We wholeheartedly support making the speed camera enforcement program a permanent public safety tool that will continue to save multiple lives by reducing speeding on what was once one of the most dangerous highways in the country," Grossman said.
