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Roosevelt Boulevard speed cameras will start issuing hefty fines to violators Saturday

The 60-day warning period for drivers has come to an end. Fines range from $100 to $150.

Traffic on the the Boulevard near McGee Avenue. On Saturday, violators should expect fines from speed cameras following the expiration of a 60-day warning period.
Traffic on the the Boulevard near McGee Avenue. On Saturday, violators should expect fines from speed cameras following the expiration of a 60-day warning period.Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

Drivers along Roosevelt Boulevard should consider themselves warned.

The roadway’s automated speed enforcement cameras will begin issuing fines to violators Saturday, following the expiration of a grace period that started June 1. Cars traveling 11 mph or more above the speed limit could face fines between $100 to $150, the Philadelphia Parking Authority outlined earlier this year.

Thirty-two cameras are installed at eight intersections: Banks Way, F Street, Devereaux Avenue, Harbison Avenue, Strahle Street, Grant Avenue, Red Lion Road, and Southampton Road.

“We believe red light cameras save lives — and we believe automated speed enforcement cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard will save more lives,” PPA Executive Director Scott Petri said in a statement.

Motorists going 11 to 19 mph over the speed limit should expect a $100 fine in the mail, while those going 20 to 29 mph above will face a $125 penalty. Drivers traveling 30 mph over the speed limit should brace for a $150 fine. Points won’t be added to driving records, according to the PPA.

The speed limit is 45 mph on most of the roadway.

Officials announced the start of the installations in January, but the process hit a snag due to “the stay in construction” put into place amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered construction sites to shut down in March, with work able to resume in May.

The cameras hope to improve safety along the roadway, which is designated as a “priority” in the city’s safe streets initiative, Vision Zero. There were 21 fatal crashes along the Boulevard in 2018 — one of its deadliest recent years.

“Traffic deaths in Philadelphia are preventable and never acceptable,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. “Adding automated speed cameras on the Boulevard is one of the most effective steps that we can take to eliminate traffic deaths. With the installation of these cameras, we continue to make progress on our Vision Zero efforts to eliminate traffic fatalities in Philadelphia by 2030.”

In June, the PPA resumed enforcing parking regulations it paused earlier in the pandemic. Booting operations started back up in mid-July.