More speed cameras coming to Philadelphia streets

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Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker signed legislation Monday morning to increase the number of speed cameras in Philadelphia.

The expansion will put 42 cameras, an average of one in each direction per mile,  over the approximately 24 miles encompassing Route 13 in Philadelphia.

Route 13 includes sections of Baltimore Avenue, 38th Street, Patton Avenue, 33rd and 34th streets, Girard Avenue, Hunting Park Avenue, Roosevelt Boulevard, Levick and Robin streets, and Frankford Avenue.

Philadelphia Parking Authority executive director Rich Lazer said the cameras have been proven to be effective at reducing speeds.

“This program does work,” Lazer said. “We go out, we tour the corridor, we look at the data.” He said the cameras will be installed where their evaluation has determined is the most dangerous parts of the roadway.

Parker said the cameras are not a “cash grab” as some critics have called the addition of more and more anti-speeding cameras within the city limits.

“I need to say this because every time the issue of speed cameras comes up, someone says to me, ‘This is about a revenue grab. This is about money. This is about dollars.’ My response is that this is about safety,” she said.

Since installing speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard, city officials say speeding violations are down 95%. Fatal and serious injury crashes are down 21%, and crashes involving pedestrians are down 50%.

Between 2019 and 2023, there were 123 fatal and serious injury crashes, 160 speeding-related crashes, and 258 pedestrian crashes on Route 13. That makes it the second most dangerous state route in Philadelphia. Speed has been determined to be a major factor in the number of crashes and their severity.

Councilmember Mike Driscoll said his staffers have witnessed two fatal traffic accidents outside his Northeast Philadelphia district office since the end of the COVID lockdown.

“For some reason, post the pandemic, a stop sign was like ‘maybe,’ and a yellow light or red light was ‘maybe I’ll slow down, maybe I won’t.’ So we have to get their attention,” Driscoll said.

The council member added that some pedestrians are slower crossing the street and need to be protected.

“We owe it to our seniors that just want to go to Wawa and get a cup of coffee to not have to be in a Daytona 500,” he said.

Lazer said PPA is in the process of completing the installation of cameras along Broad Street from end to end.

“We’re going to have 30 cameras on Route 611 at 15 different locations. So that process is moving now. The permitting process is starting and we’ll have them hopefully up and running in March,” Lazer said.

When new cameras are installed there is a two-month period where the PPA issues warnings before issuing tickets.

After that grace period, tickets will start at $100 for going 11 to 19 miles over the speed limit and then $125 for going 20 to 29 miles over the speed limit. A $150 fine will be assessed for going 30-plus miles over the speed limit.

The camera installation on Broad Street has to be completed before the Route 13 project can move forward, which should be in March.

The city will also start a pilot program for speed cameras in school zones. There’s also another bill to put cameras on dangerous corners that will soon go before City Council.

Parker said the city is intent on continuing to prove that this program is effective. She said the city would advocate with the state to lift the cap on the number of corners where they can add speed cameras.