Speed Cams: A Small Step Forward

Let’s give one weak cheer for Albany Democrats: They’re actually going to let New York City use its speed cameras to catch speeders.

Mayor Adams is hailing the Legislature’s offer as a big win, but it leaves a lot to be desired. The bill extends the city’s speed-cam program another three years and lets cameras operate 24/7 (instead of being shut off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., as now).

That last is vital. Data analyzed by news website The City confirms that 41% of collisions happen overnight and on weekends, and 60% of all fatal crashes. More: 71% of invehicle fatalities and 40% of pedestrian fatalities in 2022 so far happened when the cameras were by law non-operational.

And last year was the city’s deadliest traffic year since 2014, with almost 300 fatalities — and a spate of horrific recent incidents suggest the carnage is rising.

Yet this bill does nothing to address a core problem: that the Legislature controls these cameras at all.

Speeding and car crashes are local problems that demand local control. Yet to make changes — like, say, getting its red-light cameras to also run 24/7, which this bill does not deal with — the mayor must still go hat in hand to Albany and beg for permission. It’s beyond absurd.

Plus, a mere three-year extension all but assures the cams will remain a bargaining chip. Albany is preening over saving lives even as it ensures that state lawmakers will keep on playing games with them.