Philly council members tabled a bill over concerns about bringing speed cameras to school zones
State law and the proposed ordinance require flashing yellow lights to indicate a school zone is active and signs warning of cameras. There is a 60-day grace period before tickets are issued.
Philadelphia pushed hard to win the right to put speed cameras in school zones from a state legislature that has been skeptical of automated enforcement and cautious about granting permission.
In December 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law that allows the city to test the technology for five years in seven school zones.
But on Tuesday, some members of City Council slammed on the brakes.
“Is it to slow traffic, or is this a money grab by the city?” said Councilmember Jeffery Young, chair of Council’s streets committee, adding that, without more information, that is the question people in his North Philadelphia district will ask.
An ordinance designating the first schools to get cameras was tabled after two other committee members jumped in with skepticism. All of them called for more “engagement” with the communities around the schools, which are in various city neighborhoods.
The seven schools selected for the pilot program are Visitation BVM, John B. Stetson Middle School, Kipp North Philadelphia Academy, Widener Memorial School, Northeast High School, High School of the Future, and William L. Sayre High School.
Traffic-safety advocates and other supporters expressed concern that an opportunity to cut down on reckless driving and crashes around schoolchildren might slip away.
The measure is due to be reconsidered at the committee’s April 7 meeting. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker supports the school-zone cameras and mentioned the issue in her budget address Thursday.
The Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Services chose the seven schools with the highest crash rates. It took a little over a year of study to compile and analyze the data for every school in the city.
Young, as well as district Councilmembers Cindy Bass and Kendra Brooks, said most people in the affected communities were unaware of the program.
“Our constituents don’t look at data. They look at their pockets,” Young said, noting motorists in neighborhoods will bear the brunt of $100 speeding tickets before they know what’s coming.
He suggested that using speed humps, cushions, and other traffic-calming measures could be more effective at reducing speeds in school zones.
“Every day you delay this, another kid gets hit by a car,” said Jessie Amadio, of safety advocacy group Philly Bike Action, based on OTIS’s study of the frequency of crashes in school zones. “Hopefully things get straightened out and the bill moves.”
By the end of the week, that process seemed to be underway.
At-large Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who introduced the bill at the request of the Parker administration, has met with the members of the committee to discuss their concerns, said aide Ben Wilcox.
“They’re on the same page, and we look forward to enacting this lifesaving legislation,” Wilcox said.
Enforcement cameras have reduced speeding violations by 95% over the five years they have been on Roosevelt Boulevard, and fatal and serious-injury crashes also have declined. Speed cameras enjoy broad support, but they remain controversial, with many raising concerns about the use of tickets as moneymakers.
Brooks asked whether steps had been taken to “ensure that the cameras and the ticketing process do not have inequitable outcomes.”
Bass alluded to councilmanic privilege, the informal but powerful agreement that district representatives can block matters in their districts.
“This bill really should not have come from an at-large member,” Bass said. “District Council members are on the line. People expect us to know and have the answers.”