PPA: Roosevelt Boulevard speeding violations decrease by 91% since cameras installed
The program is set to expire next year due to a provision in the law.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Data provided by the Philadelphia Parking Authority says the city's Speed Camera Program on the Roosevelt Boulevard is working, making drivers slow down and follow the speed limit.
Speed violations decreased by more than 90 percent as of November 2021, according to the PPA's "Roosevelt Boulevard Automated Speed Camera Annual Report."
A PennDOT study also shows serious crashes and fatalities went down on the Boulevard in 2020, the first year the cameras were installed.
"We do know that when Speed Cameras were first installed in Philadelphia, incidents of speeding, including excessive speeding, were rampant," PPA Deputy Executive Director Corinne O'Connor said in the report. "For example, while Roosevelt Boulevard has posted speed limits of 40 mph or 45 mph, it was not uncommon to clock speeds double those limits, even as high as 138 mph.
"Since implementation of the Speed Camera Program, speeding violations as monitored locations have decreased by 91.4% as of November 2021. We believe these facts alone confirm that the Program works as intended and will ultimately save lives when installed, if it has not done so already."
More speed cameras are going up in two new locations on June 1 along the 700 block of W. Roosevelt Boulevard, between North 7th and North 9th streets, and on the 5000 block of the Boulevard, between Summerdale avenue and Pratt street.
The PPA presented the figures at a conference late last month, in part to encourage legislators to extend the program.
It's set to expire next year due to a provision in the law.
"We must note that the continuing viability of the Speed Camera Program in Philadelphia is in doubt because of a 2023 sunset provision in the enabling legislation. Because the Speed Camera Program has made tremendous headway in accomplishing its goals and is such a critical part of the City's Vision Zero initiative, the Authority believes that the Program should be made permanent and not limited to just the Roosevelt Boulevard," O'Connor said.
The Speed Camera Program is authorized to operate in Philadelphia only on the Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. Route 1) between 9th Street and the county line shared with Bucks County.
The PPA hopes to expand the program beyond the Boulevard. They say suggested roadways include Kelly Drive, Lincoln Drive, Delaware Avenue and Torresdale Avenue.
