NYC's first speed cameras go live

[Duke87]

Surprised no one has brought this up.

NYC has a pilot program for speed cameras, they first went up in September but they've only been issuing warnings. Today they start issuing fines. Apparently there are 20 of them, all within 1/4 mile of a school although in NYC that could mean practically anywhere. To get a ticket you must be going 10 MPH over the posted limit (typically 30). Fine is $50.

[NE2]

Thanks, Afroduck.

[agentsteel53]

Fine is $50.

meh.

here in California, the typical roboticket is in the $400-700 range.

[hotdogPi]

This sounds like what Maryland does.

[Brandon]

Surprised no one has brought this up.

NYC has a pilot program for speed cameras, they first went up in September but they've only been issuing warnings. Today they start issuing fines. Apparently there are 20 of them, all within 1/4 mile of a school although in NYC that could mean practically anywhere. To get a ticket you must be going 10 MPH over the posted limit (typically 30). Fine is $50.

Same sort of shit Rahm Emmanuel brought to Chicago but with lower fines.

[dgolub]

Surprised no one has brought this up.

NYC has a pilot program for speed cameras, they first went up in September but they've only been issuing warnings. Today they start issuing fines. Apparently there are 20 of them, all within 1/4 mile of a school although in NYC that could mean practically anywhere. To get a ticket you must be going 10 MPH over the posted limit (typically 30). Fine is $50.

That means you would have to be going at least 40 MPH to get a ticket.  With NYC traffic, there aren't too many places where you could do that (other than maybe on Staten Island or in some of the outlying areas of Queens) without posing a legitimate threat to safety.  Maybe this will help catch some of the crazy cab drivers.

[jeffandnicole]

Are there reduced school zone limits in NYC where the cameras are located?  What are those reduced limits?

[PHLBOS]

Fine is $50.

Any insurance surcharges applied?  In many instances, that can be more costly than the fines themeselves.

[vdeane]

Are there reduced school zone limits in NYC where the cameras are located?  What are those reduced limits?

Pretty sure not.  Over 80% of streets in NYC are within 1/4 mile of a school.

[Duke87]

Posted school zones in NYC are not commonplace but they do exist. In those cases the limit drops to 20. There is also a pilot program to drop the limit in some residential neighborhoods to 20, which you can expect to see expand in the future. On the flipside, some major thoroughfares are posted at 35. Expressways and parkways (not likely to have cameras since all this fuss is ostensibly about pedestrian safety) are usually 50 but some of the BQE is 45 and the FDR is 40.

By New York State law a fine from a camera is legally equivalent to a parking ticket (since it is assessed against the vehicle owner rather than the driver and is not issued by a sworn officer), so there are no points and no insurance penalty associated with it.

[vdeane]

There's also a bill to lower the limit to 20 citywide: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2014/01/assemblyman-odonnell-introduces-bill-to-lower-city-speed-limit

[Duke87]

There's also a bill to lower the limit to 20 citywide: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2014/01/assemblyman-odonnell-introduces-bill-to-lower-city-speed-limit

Which, as far as I'm aware, is illegal under current state law, and thus would not hold up in court. They can lower it to 25 without permission from Albany, though.


Anyways, a citywide limit drop would be too contentious. It's been proposed before and went nowhere. It's just political lip-flapping.

[vdeane]

My guess from the article is that the bill is in the state assembly.

[froggie]

This sounds like what Maryland does.

Similar, yes.  Maryland charges $40 and you have to be doing at least 12 over the limit.

My guess from the article is that the bill is in the state assembly.

Concur.  The article references that it was a state lawmaker that introduced the bill.

[Truvelo]

I have to say the trigger speed and fine are very reasonable compared to here. Over here the trigger speed is generally 10% + 2mph meaning in a 30 you'll be ticketed at 35 and the fine is the equivalent of $160 which was raised from $100 around six months ago plus you get points on your licence.

At least with a decent tolerance the NYC cameras will catch those who are knowingly exceeding the limit and not catch those who drift over the limit and aren't really causing a problem.

[Duke87]

How do they put points on your license with a camera if they can't prove you were the one driving at the time? Australia allows you to have the person who was driving send in a plea saying it was them not you and they should get the points. Does the UK do something similar?

[Brandon]

Chicago's are $35 for 6-10 over the limit, and $100 for 11+ over the limit, but only be placed in so-called "safety zones".

Someone went and created a map of the cameras: http://chicagospeedcamera.com/camera-map.html

Here's the amendments to the law that created it: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/97/PDF/097-0672.pdf

Here's some of the text:

"Safety zone" means an area that is within one-eighth of a
mile from the nearest property line of any public or private
elementary or secondary school, or from the nearest property
line of any facility, area, or land owned by a school district
that is used for educational purposes approved by the Illinois
State Board of Education, not including school district
headquarters or administrative buildings. A safety zone also
includes an area that is within one-eighth of a mile from the
nearest property line of any facility, area, or land owned by a
park district used for recreational purposes. However, if any
SB0965 Enrolled LRB097 04676 HEP 44715 b
Public Act 097-0672portion of a roadway is within either one-eighth mile radius,
the safety zone also shall include the roadway extended to the
furthest portion of the next furthest intersection. The term
"safety zone" does not include any portion of the roadway known
as Lake Shore Drive or any controlled access highway with 8 or
more lanes of traffic.