The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) is set to complete the installation of automated speed cameras along Broad Street by the end of this month.
This initiative aims to enhance traffic safety in one of the city’s most dangerous corridors.
In total, 30 cameras will be placed at 15 intersections stretching from Old York Road near Montgomery County to League Island Boulevard near the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia.
Martin O’Rourke, a spokesperson for the PPA, stated, “Assuming everything goes as planned, we will likely announce the date for the start of a warning period in early September.”
Once the installation is finished, an initial warning period of 60 days will commence.
During this time, drivers caught speeding will receive written warnings instead of penalties.
After this grace period, drivers will incur fines if they exceed the posted speed limit by at least 11 mph, with potential citations reaching up to $150.
The current speed limit along most of Broad Street is 25 mph.
These forthcoming cameras represent the first visible aspect of an expanded speed camera program part of Vision Zero, a citywide initiative aimed at eliminating all traffic-related deaths and severe injuries in Philadelphia.
Enacted in 2023, state legislation empowered the implementation of automated speed cameras along additional corridors and designated school zones.
This new measure solidifies a pilot program that has already been successful along Roosevelt Boulevard, known for being among the city’s most hazardous roadways.
Despite these efforts, data indicates that Broad Street has now become the most perilous corridor in Philadelphia as advocates voice concerns over a burgeoning traffic safety crisis.
To date, 60 individuals have been killed in traffic incidents throughout Philadelphia this year, based on city data, which suggests the city may once again exceed the traffic fatality figures recorded in 2019.
Moreover, nearly half of these deaths involved pedestrians or bikers, with several occurring on or near Broad Street.
In contrast, only two fatalities have been reported on or in proximity to Roosevelt Boulevard this year.
Christopher Puchalsky, the director of policy and strategic initiatives with the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, noted, “Since we’ve made speed improvements and safety improvements on Roosevelt Boulevard, North Broad has actually emerged as the most dangerous street in Philadelphia. So it was our prime candidate for deploying additional speed cameras.”
The PPA is also planning to initiate the installation of automated speed cameras along Route 13 next spring, which enters Philadelphia via Baltimore Avenue.
Other targeted areas include Allegheny Avenue, Christopher Columbus Boulevard, and Erie and Torresdale avenues, although legislation to introduce speed cameras in these regions has yet to be advanced in City Council.
In April, City Council passed a measure that greenlit seven potential locations for a five-year pilot program to test automated speed cameras specifically in school zones.
Similar to the Roosevelt Boulevard endeavor, the city aims to make these school zone speed cameras permanent.
Puchalsky emphasized the necessity to effectively advocate for these initiatives before the General Assembly.
Advocates for road safety do not view speed cameras as a catch-all solution for the city’s traffic crisis.
However, they do recognize speed cameras as one of the more effective tools to deter speeding among drivers.
The success of the program on Roosevelt Boulevard illustrates this point, as a study published last year reported a staggering 95% decrease in speeding in that corridor after the installation of 40 cameras at 10 intersections.
Yet, there is opposition regarding the imposition of speed cameras, with critics arguing that they create a punitive system that functions as a revenue-generating scheme rather than a genuine public safety measure.
The National Motorist Association contends that alternative methods such as flashing beacon signs and speed feedback indicators that inform drivers of their speed compared to the speed limit could be more equitable solutions to speeding issues.
Unlike speeding tickets that arrive in the mail weeks later, these engineering solutions provide immediate feedback, helping to modify driver behavior in real time.
Some of the revenue collected from the automated speed cameras in Philadelphia will be allocated to the PPA to cover operational costs, including the staff required to review footage before citations are issued.
However, the majority of the funds will be directed to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
PennDOT then redistributes this funding to municipalities through traffic safety grants designed to enhance safety measures and mitigate fatalities and serious injuries stemming from speeding, rather than serving merely as a source of revenue for the city.
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