Mayor Adams Asks State to Grant Him Authority Over Speed Cameras

By Yehudit Garmaise

The 273 pedestrians who were killed on New York City streets in 2021 made last year the city's deadliest since the launch of Vision Zero in 2014, Transportation Alternatives said on Wednesday.

Crashes killed 124 pedestrians, 50 motorcyclists, 19 cyclists, and 15 people on mopeds and e-bikes in New York City in 2021, reported the non-profit group, which said that the number of crashes is 60% higher than it was in 2020. In addition, hit-and-runs have doubled since 2018, and pedestrian fatalities involving SUVs have increased by 42%.

The state legislature only allows speed and red-light cameras to operate weekdays and limits the number of cameras to 2,000 in 750 schools, which is 1% of the city’s intersections, but that law is up for renewal.

Now, Mayor Eric Adams is asking state lawmakers to empower him with “Home Rule:” to grant the city authority to decide where and when to use the cameras, which now only function 6am to 10pm, Mondays to Fridays, in certain school zones.

“It makes no sense that Albany should be dictating to New York City how they can enforce their traffic laws, what their speeds limits can be, where to install cameras and other enforcement options,” said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes of Brooklyn. “It’s absurd.” 

“If our streets aren’t safe, our city isn’t safe. Period," the mayor tweeted last week. "Home Rule allows the people who know our city best to have the tools to keep our streets safe for every New Yorker.”

While many New Yorkers are wary of the speed cameras, which some suspect merely generate revenue for the city, one Boro Park resident pointed out, "Many more accidents would take place without the speed cameras."

Gov. Kathy Hochul supports the mayor's "home rule" of the speed camera program, NY1 reported.

Advocates of pedestrian safety would like to see the mayor get home rule in the budget due later this month or in stand-alone legislation that remains outside of the budget process.