The Pennsylvania Transportation Committee will hear legislation on Wednesday that could create a speed camera Pilot program in the state of Pennsylvania.
As readers of this blog know, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia have long advocated for the legalization of speed cameras in Pennsylvania, a tool that’s been proven to slow down traffic and keep all road users safer.
Many of us traveled to Harrisburg last spring to advocate for both red light and speed cameras in Pennsylvania. We won the red light camera bill in 2016. This year, we believe we can make streets safer by passing a speed camera bill. Automated enforcement is an important aspect of Vision Zero.
Our group of advocates on the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speed cameras reduce injurious crashes by 20-25 percent, on average.
Pennsylvania State Representative John Taylor, of Northeast Philadelphia, introduced legislation legalizing speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard in April in order to make that road—one of the deadliest stretches in the United States—safer. Taylor has worked close with the Bicycle Coalition in the past, and was a speaker at our recent Vision Zero Conference.
He also invited all members of the Transportation Committee to Philadelphia last year to discuss the pros and cons of speed cameras. That meeting took place in City Hall and was overseen by several members of Philadelphia City Council, who got the chance to ask questions about what speed cameras may mean for their districts.
House Bill 1187 The bill will amend Pennsylvania vehicle code Title 75, providing for an automated speed enforcement system pilot program on 9 miles of Route 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard), spanning from 9th Street in Philadelphia to the Bucks County line. Fines would only be given to those operating 11 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit.