Dana Rubinstein at Capital New York reports that State Senator Marty Golden has again emerged as an obstacle to NYC speed cameras.
On Monday the Assembly passed a bill that would allow the city to deploy 120 additional cameras, bringing the total to 140. We reported yesterday that the allocation of speed camera revenue was a possible point of contention in the Senate, which has moved the bill to the rules committee -- the last stop before the Senate floor, where it would come to a vote.
From a CapNY story published this morning:
A knowledgeable source told Capital that Brooklyn State Senator Marty Golden, a close ally of the police union, which fervently opposes speed cameras on the grounds that officers police streets better, is demanding the city agree to dedicate the revenue generated from the speed cameras to school safety initiatives, cops, and firemen, rather than to the city's general fund.
Marty Golden is the leader of the NYC Senate delegation, and his support is critical to getting the bill passed. Golden objected to introducing speed cameras to NYC streets last year, but eventually voted in favor. Golden's office did not respond when Streetsblog asked if he supports the current bill, and he didn't comment for Capital New York.
It may sound like a good idea to dedicate this revenue to street safety initiatives, but city money is fungible. If speed cam revenue is set aside for specific items, other city funds can be shifted around to offset that. Plus, as NYC’s experience with red light cameras shows, these revenues decline over time as drivers adjust their behavior -- you can’t budget based on them. Golden’s proposal is just another pointless reason to oppose a proven safety measure.
Golden’s reported tactic is exactly the reason NYC needs local control of its automated enforcement program. Street safety in New York City should not be held hostage to the vagaries of Albany politicking.
To wit: Any new cameras allowed by Albany would be subject to the same restrictions as the 20 cameras the city has now. Though most fatal crashes occur during evening and nighttime hours and on weekends, state lawmakers have limited their effectiveness by mandating that they can only be used near schools during the school day.
The City Council transportation committee will take up a resolution later today asking Albany for local control of traffic cameras.
