Drivers Caught Flying By NYC Schools With Speed Cams Off

NEW YORK, NY — Thousands of drivers have zoomed past New York City schools without consequence in the three weeks since most of the city's so-called speed cameras stopped giving out tickets, new figures show.

As of Friday, cameras posted near schools had spotted more than 132,000 cars going more than 10 MPH above the speed limit during school hours since 120 of the 140 cameras stopped issuing summonses last month — but none of them got a ticket, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said Monday.

State lawmakers did not renew the city's authorization to ticket drivers with the cameras, forcing most of them to be deactivated July 25. The city has still used them to collect data on speeding, but the remaining 20 will be shut off at the end of August without action from Albany, officials said.

City officials used the new numbers to once again castigate the Republican-controlled state Senate for leaving the life-saving program in the lurch. A bill to renew and expand the program has passed in the largely Democratic state Assembly but has not moved in the Senate.

"In just over two weeks’ time since the cameras stopped issuing summonses, tens of thousands of drivers sped past schools," de Blasio said in a statement. "Even worse, because of State Senate inaction, these drivers will face absolutely no consequences for this lethal behavior."

Traffic fatalities near schools and speeding during school hours have fallen sharply since the camera program started, Department of Transportation data shows. Its absence at the start of the school year Sept. 6 could put kids' lives at risk, city officials said.

"As we get ready for a new school year, we can’t accept a reality where our kids will be less safe as they walk to and from school," schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement.

Officials called for the Senate to return to Albany and renew the program. But lawmakers have not heeded many calls to reconvene since this year's legislative session ended in June.

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Long Island) has blamed Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for not engaging with senators, who wanted to renew the camera program in addition to other ways to stem speeding, such as red lights and stop signs.

(Lead image: Photo from Shutterstock / StacieStauffSmith Photos)