Traffic Enforcement

This afternoon, the City Council passed a home rule resolution calling on Albany to pass legislation enabling speed enforcement cameras in school zones. The last time there was action on speed camera legislation, more than two months ago, Mayor Bloomberg was chastising state senators Marty Golden, Simcha Felder, and Dean Skelos for torpedoing the program in the Senate's budget legislation after the Assembly moved ahead with automated enforcement in its budget proposal. Now it looks like a more restricted version of that bill has a good shot at passing.

A bill targeted at NYPD’s self-imposed ban on penalizing motorists for careless driving has cleared the State Senate, but awaits passage in the Assembly.

Governor Cuomo announced Monday that new DMV drivers license rules have taken thousands of dangerous motorists off New York State roads. The changes set an important precedent by mandating the permanent revocation of driving privileges for the worst drunk driving offenders. But since the new policies apply only to DWI violations, the state is still allowing thousands of reckless drivers to keep their licenses.

It's no joke -- Jeff Klein is taking up the cause of NYC speed cameras in the State Senate.

State Senator Marty Golden, a former police officer and prominent Brooklyn Republican, has joined forces with the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and AAA New York to oppose speed cameras. Now that Golden has succeeded in keeping them out of the state budget, he says he might be open to the idea, after all.

Electeds and advocates have until June to push speed camera legislation through Albany, as the proposed NYC demonstration program was not part of this year's state budget deal.

After efforts to enable speed cameras in New York City stalled in Albany the past few years, a new speed cam bill in the Assembly now has more than 30 sponsors, and introduction of a State Senate bill is expected soon.

Following queries by Streetsblog, two state senators have pledged to address loopholes in a new state law that permit large trucks to be operated without safety mirrors, thereby endangering pedestrians and cyclists, especially children and the elderly, in New York City neighborhoods.

After a fatal crash in her district, a state representative from Queens is again calling on Albany to double fines for speeding, but with NYPD issuing few tickets, lax traffic enforcement continues to be the biggest obstacle to safer streets.