Mayor Kenney signs bill bringing speed cameras to Roosevelt Boulevard

Speed cameras are coming to Roosevelt Boulevard, thanks to a new bill signed today by Mayor Jim Kenney.

Details on the piece of legislation were announced by the city Wednesday morning. It will see speed cameras go up on a 12-mile stretch of Roosevelt Boulevard between 9th Street and the Bucks County line by the end of next year, the mayor’s office said.

Roadside signs will be posted along Roosevelt to let drivers know there’s automated speed enforcement in the area, but no fines will be issued for the first 60 days of the program; in that time, speeding drivers will only receive a warning.

After the 60 days have passed, drivers can expect a $100 fee for going 11 to 19 MPH over the speed limit; $125 for going 20 to 29 over; and $130 for going 30 miles or more over the speed limit, the office said. Drivers won’t receive any points to their licenses due to the cameras.

“Adding automated speed cameras on the boulevard is one of the most effective steps that we can take towards eliminating traffic deaths,” Kenney said in a statement Wednesday.

The program is part of Kenney’s Vision Zero Goal, which seeks to eliminate traffic-related deaths in Philadelphia by 2030. Money from the fines issued along Roosevelt Boulevard will cover equipment, administration, and police officers who have to review the violations, as well as transportation safety grants.

“We know that speed is especially deadly for people walking and biking, and that if we can get motorists to change their behavior and slow down, we can reduce crashes and save lives, council member Cherelle Parker said in the statement.

The Vision Zero goal was first introduced in 2017, when Kenney planned to combat the rate of traffic-related deaths—100 deaths per person, per year at the time—in Philadelphia. The plan focused on six key areas: evaluation and data, engineering, education, enforcement, fleet management, and policy.

Officials also planned to target what they called the “High Injury Network” — the 12 percent of Philly streets where 50 percent of traffic incidents occur. Over the course of 2018, the administration installed the Market/JFK Vision Zero Project, to improve conditions for pedestrians and bikers on the busy Center City streets. They also installed Boulevard Direct bus plazas on Roosevelt Boulevard, and announced $17 million in grants to Vision Zero. And still, a report published by the city last year questioned whether Philly would meet its vision zero goal.