December 05, 2024
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Speed cameras may be coming to portions of Route 13 in Philadelphia, which cuts across the city from Delaware County to Bucks County. Above, cameras in place on Roosevelt Boulevard.
Four years after Philadelphia's first automated speed cameras went up on Roosevelt Boulevard, drivers can expect to see them along more city roads soon.
Speed cameras are set to go up on Broad Street next year, and Route 13 is likely to get them after that. City Council voted, 17-0, Thursday to approve legislation that would add speed cameras along Route 13, which cuts through Philly from Delaware County to Bucks County.
Speed cameras use 3D radar to identify drivers going above the speed limit. Violators are sent tickets in the mail.
The cameras won't go up along Route 13 immediately – Mayor Cherelle Parker must first sign the legislation into law, and public notices about their placement must be made on the Philadelphia Parking Authority's website.
Route 13 runs along Baltimore Avenue in West Philly, heads through University City and Mantua before crossing the Schuylkill River along Girard Avenue. It then runs along 33rd Street, Ridge Avenue and Hunting Park in North Philly before heading along Roosevelt Boulevard and exiting the city via Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philly.
The only speed cameras currently in place in Philadelphia are along Roosevelt Boulevard. They were installed as part of a pilot program in 2020 that has become permanent. The cameras decreased speeding infractions by 93%, city data show. Crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries dropped by 21%, and pedestrian crashes fell by 50%.
In February, the city received $19.3 million in PennDOT grants funded by fines sent to drivers caught speeding by the cameras. The money is allocated for traffic safety projects, including some on Roosevelt Boulevard.
A 2022 study from Rutgers University found drivers are more open to speed cameras when their role in eliminating racial profiling is highlighted. The researchers noted that speed cameras can limit racially divisive interactions between police and motorists. Traffic cameras also have been shown to prevent fatalities, which disproportionately impact drivers of color.
The bill passed by council only impacts Route 13 in Philadelphia. However, red-light cameras on Route 13 in Bristol Township in Bucks County also are up for a vote Dec. 19. In August, a 12-year-old boy was fatally struck while riding his bicycle on the road.
