CI mobile speed camera slows traffi c around P.S. 175
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
Speed demons beware! A
speed camera may be coming
to a street near you.
A mobile speed camera
was recently approved for
P.S. 175.
On the February and
March days that the camera
was in use, tickets were issued
to motorists who drove
past the school on City Island
Avenue travelling 11 miles per
hour or more over the 25-mile
per hour posted speed limit.
Mobile speed cameras
have been deployed around
the borough, including on
Schurz Avenue in Throggs
Neck, according to previous
Bronx Times reporting.
Fixed cameras are located
outside many of our borough
educational institutions, including
the Lehman Educational
Campus.
City Island leaders said
the P.S. 175 camera has had a
calming effect during morning
drop offs and afternoon
pick ups at the school.
Assemblyman Michael
Benedetto requested a NYC
Department of Transportation
camera at P.S. 175 when
he was alerted that the area
around the school was prone
to speeding.
A press conference announcing
the speed camera
was held outside the school
on Thursday, May 3.
“There are statistics that
show that when speed cameras
are put in front of locations,
it reduces speeding
some 63%,” said Benedetto.
“Since the mobile camera
was put in use on City Island,
52 violations have been issued
to motorists.”
Benedetto said that he
hasn’t received any blowback
from having the cameras at
the location, and feels the
benefi ts of increased safety
for children walking to and
from school should outweigh
any inconvenience.
The assemblyman said
that City Island resident John
Doyle, one of the founders of
a new community organization
called City Island Rising,
alerted his offi ce to the
speeding problem in front of
the school
“This is a consistent location
where we get complaints
about traffi c irregularities,
speeding, and people
just blowing through the red
light,” said Doyle. “This camera
BRONX TIMES R 20 EPORTER, MAY 10-16, 2019 BTR
is making a meaningful
difference.”
Benedetto hopes that Governor
Cuomo will sign into
law a bill authorizing the use
of more speed cameras that
has already passed the state
legislature.
If signed, the legislation
increases the number
of speed cameras from 140
in NYC to 750, Benedetto explained.
“No one likes getting a
ticket,” said Doyle, “But it is
a small price to pay if we can
save even one life.”
Island activist and P.S. 175
parent Dan Treiber said that
parents are talking about the
camera, and its seems to be a
speed deterrent.
“If people drove slower
it would be better,” said
Treiber.
Treiber said that at certain
parts of the day there
is congestion in front of the
school building. When motorists
leave the area after
picking up or dropping off,
or if they don’t have a schoolchild,
they tend to drive away
fast.
He said he believes that
speed cameras are effective
in reducing speeding on local
streets.
The City Island speed camera
will become permanent if
the need is confi rmed.
The mobile speed camera
operates during school
hours only, Monday through
Friday. It monitors speeding
within a quarter mile radius
of the school.
Speeding summonses
are $50 and issued by mail.
The infraction does not add
points to a driver’s license.
(l-r) John Doyle, community activist; Assemblyman Michael Benedetto;
and Dan Treiber, founding member of City Island Rising met to discuss
the ongoing placement of a mobile speed camera outside of P.S. 175 on
Thursday, May 3. Photo by Silvio Pacifi co
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