Signs on Broad Street in Center City alert drivers about the use of speed cameras.
JACK TOMCZUK
A measure allowing speed cameras to be installed along three new stretches of road in Philadelphia moved closer to final approval this week.
City Council advanced legislation to permit automated speed enforcement on state routes 1004 (Erie and Torresdale avenues) from Hunting Park to Linden avenues; 2001 (Oregon Avenue, Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Delaware Avenue and Richmond Street) between Broad and Bridge streets; and 2016 (Allegheny Avenue) from Ridge to Delaware avenues.
Collectively, the bill would authorize the cameras on more than 25 miles worth of roadway.
The devices clock vehicle speeds and snap a photograph of the license plate if the driver is determined to be traveling 11 mph or more over the speed limits. Fines of between $100 and $150 are issued in the mail, with the amount depending on the extent of the speeding.
Automated enforcement has been in place on Roosevelt Boulevard since 2020, and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration has credited the method with a 21% drop in fatal and serious injury crashes and a 50% decrease in pedestrian-involved collisions on the 12-lane road.
Last month, cameras went live on Broad Street, and the devices were approved last year for Route 13, which runs along sections of Baltimore Avenue, 34th and 33rd streets, Hunting Park Avenue and Frankford Avenue.
The Parker administration recommended the three newest routes based on an analysis that looked at serious crashes, speeding, collisions involving pedestrians and roadway characteristics, according to a report published in April.
Lawmakers moved the bill forward Monday, but not before Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr., chair of the Committee on Streets and Services, questioned some of the data used to justify the cameras.
Specifically, he asked Parker officials about how speed limits are established. Representatives from the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems said numbers are determined through confidential Pennsylvania Department of Transportation studies.
Limits for the three state routes will be reexamined as part of the speed camera process, officials told the committee. Young wanted access to that information, arguing that lawmakers will be on the receiving end of any pushback.
Automated traffic enforcement may be extended to three additional state routes.JACK TOMCZUK
Councilmembers Nina Ahmad and Cindy Bass wondered why Lincoln Drive was not among the roads considered for automated enforcement. OTIS has said the city wants to put the devices where they are most needed, due to state regulations.
A law signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in late 2023 made the Roosevelt Boulevard speed camera pilot permanent and permitted the city to expand the initiative to five additional state routes.
Once the the latest set of three routes are approved, no more can be added, unless legislation incorporating further expansion is passed in Harrisburg
That 2023 state statute also allowed Philadelphia to test automated enforcement in school zones. Parker signed legislation in May designating seven school zones for the program, although only five can be in operation at any one time.
Those cameras, along with devices on Route 13, are expected to be activated sometime next year, according to a recent report from the Philadelphia Parking Authority, which administers the program.
Although the devices are operational on Broad Street, a 60-day grace period is still in effect, meaning violators are only receiving warnings. Fines will begin going out Nov. 14, officials have said.
Council could consider the most recent speed camera legislation for final approval as soon as Oct. 16.