Expanded Use of New York City School Zone Speed Cameras Signed Into Law
Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation today to reauthorize and expand the use of New York City school zone speed cameras to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Governor signed the bill today alongside New York City Mayor Eric Adams, State Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and safe streets advocates.
“My number one priority as Governor is to keep New Yorkers safe, and that starts with ensuring our kids can make their way to and from school without being harmed,” Governor Hochul said. “I want to thank all the lawmakers who have worked so hard to make this possible, because New Yorkers don’t just deserve safe streets at certain hours of the day. We need to use every tool at our disposal, and far too many of our children have been killed by cars to not reauthorize and expand this life-saving program.”
Currently, the Vehicle and Traffic Law limits the hours of operation for New York City school zone speed cameras from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekdays. This legislation renews authorization for the use of these cameras until July 1, 2025 and amends the Vehicle and Traffic Law to eliminate the limitation on hours of operation.
In 2013, a five-year demonstration program allowed 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 in 2019, and the current extension is set to expire on July 1, 2022.
New York City has seen a tragic rise in traffic deaths, and it is clear that reckless driving is not limited to weekday daylight hours. More has to be done to protect New York families, and in signing this legislation, Governor Hochul is taking swift action to ensure the expansion of demonstrably life-saving policy.
“Traffic safety is public safety, and speed cameras save lives — now we can use this proven tool 24/7. This Monday, we saw once again the reality of traffic violence in our city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “If our streets aren’t safe, our city isn’t safe. This is how we protect our streets, save lives, and make New York City safer.”
