December 13, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard have led to fewer crashes and speeding violations. A bill nearing passage in Harrisburg could expand the cameras to other roads in the city.
A bill that would make speed cameras permanent on Roosevelt Boulevard and add them to other Philly roads took a step forward Tuesday in the Pennsylvania Senate.
The Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously in favor of HB 1284, the bill that seeks to enhance automated speed enforcement zones in the city. The legislation is scheduled to be considered by the full Senate on Wednesday. It was passed by the House in June and would go to the governor for a signature if approved by the legislature.
Traffic safety advocates have pushed for more speed cameras in Philly based on the results of the pilot program that started on Roosevelt Boulevard in 2020. Before the cameras were installed, PennDOT officials said 55% of crashes on the Northeast Philly corridor were related to speeding and aggressive driving.
The Pennsylvania State Transportation Advisory Commission reported that crashes on Roosevelt Boulevard declined by 36% between 2019 and 2021, compared to a 6% decline in the rest of Philadelphia. Speeding-related crashes fell 17% on Roosevelt Boulevard during that timeframe and collisions tended to be less severe, the report said. Crashes resulting in serious injury or death fell 11% on Roosevelt Boulevard compared to a 16% rise in the rest of the city.
Speeding violations decreased 88.5% from over 224,000 in June 2020 to less than 26,000 in November 2022, the Philadelphia Parking Authority said in a report on the program released this spring.
The cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard are administered by the PPA. They're programmed to take photographs and video of any speeding vehicle’s license plate if radar detects the car traveling more than 11 mph over the posted speed limits of 40 and 45 mph.
The legislation, which has been led by state Rep. Ed Neilson and state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, would eliminate a Dec. 18 expiration date for the speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard and create a new pilot program to place cameras in five active school zones in the city. The bill also grants the option to install speed cameras at five dangerous city corridors and would allow the state to permanently use automated speed enforcement in highway work zones.
"We look forward to the expansion of this life-saving technology to other dangerous roads and school zones in Philadelphia," the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Any new locations for speed cameras in Philadelphia would need to be approved by city ordinance and PennDOT. The bill also calls for a study after two years that would look into expanding speed cameras to other parts of Pennsylvania.
The city has said the speed cameras are not intended to generate revenue or dole out harsh punishments to drivers. Speeding violations recorded as part of the program on Roosevelt Boulevard do not result in any points on driving records. Fines range from $100-$150, depending on how fast violators are going when the radar detects them speeding.
Speed cameras are part of a broader strategy that city officials and state lawmakers hope will improve road safety. Earlier this month, PennDOT began a program with the city to lower speed limits on six major corridors in Philadelphia, including Kelly Drive and Cottman Avenue — both of which could receive speed cameras in the future. Elsewhere in the city, traffic-calming measures like speed bumps have been deployed to reduce speeding.
“The numbers speak for themselves," Neilson, a Democrat who serves Philadelphia, said in October. "This program works by enhancing traffic safety and saving lives.”
