An unobtrusive camera catches 435 speeding drivers every weekday in the Soundview neighborhood in the Bronx.
It is one of New York City’s newest and busiest traffic cameras, issuing $50 tickets to anyone who ignores the 25 miles per hour speed limit near a school. And it plays a vital role in the city’s battle against a pandemic surge in speeding and reckless driving that has led to the highest level of traffic deaths in eight years.
But the camera has to be shut off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and on weekends because of a state law that was passed 150 miles away in Albany — even though nearly 60 percent of the fatal crashes across the city during the pandemic happened during those hours. The law links camera use to school hours.
“Speeding takes place 24 hours a day in the city, but our cameras go to sleep from 10 to 6 and take the weekends off,” said Danny Harris, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group.
