The #EverySchool Campaign is a project of Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets

Speeding is the #1 cause of traffic fatalities in New York.

Infographics

Download these infographics, or use the buttons below to post the message to Facebook and Twitter. They’ll include an automatic link back to the #EverySchool petition, so your friends can get involved too.

Cameras are limited to 140 school zones in NYC.

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For 2015 (NYC DOT)

Speed safety cameras are fair.

Speed safety cameras are not for generating revenue

Speeding kills more New Yorkers than drunk drivers and drivers on cell phones combined.

Tell Your Story

Explain what it’s like for your child to get to school. Add your personal story and your voice could have a big effect on state legislators who are debating speed safety cameras and the #EverySchool Campaign.

Stories

“My son is a student at M.S. 51, on often-dangerous Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. He gets to school around 8:30 in the morning, heads out to the neighborhood for lunch release mid-day, and leaves school sometimes as late as 6 pm. When he’s outside of the school building, regardless of time of day, he sees drivers speeding on Fifth and not driving safely, and I feel his life’s in danger.

His school — and every school in New York City — needs to have speed cameras set up in and around the community so students can stay safe. His school — and every school in New York City — needs those cameras on at all times throughout the day and into the evening to help enforce the law. If we as New Yorkers truly care about our kids, every school — all 2,000+ of them — must have speed cameras so our children stay alive and healthy.”

— David Herman, Brooklyn

“My daughter is 7. Twice a day my family is threatened by speeding drivers walking 8 blocks to our neighborhood school. Drivers fly down our streets seeking to avoid traffic, without regard for the safety of vulnerable road users near schools. Kids should be safe in and around schools—speed cameras would go along ways to take our streets back from speeders.”

— Toby Sheppard Bloch, Queens

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“Our family moved to W. 97th Street four years ago, primarily to be within the closest possible walking distance to the public elementary school our two daughters attend. Now that they are 8 and 10 years old, it seems reasonable that they might walk together across the three short blocks to PS 163 themselves occasionally. Yet, due to the horrendous traffic conditions that prevail in our neighborhood, that is unthinkable. This short walk would take them through some of the deadliest intersections in New York City, where two children and multiple adults have already fallen victim to speeding or out-of-control vehicles. If speed cameras will help make drivers feel more accountable for the lives of pedestrians – of all ages – then there is no question that these should be installed immediately.”

— Valerie Kathawala, Manhattan

“My 11-year old son now commutes alone from the subway to his school, Metropolitan Montessori on West 85th Street. Although he’s been trained to walk defensively, stay on the curb, watch for turning cars, and to never (ever) have a device out while he’s walking, he has no control over driver behavior. How can we put the onus of safe commuting on the 11-year old, but not hold drivers responsible for their choices? A speeding driver on West End Avenue could change our lives in an instant, and that’s not ok with me. Speed cameras would hold drivers responsible and allow school children and their families the peace of mind we all deserve.”

“My 13-year old daughter commutes alone from the subway to her school, Avenues: The World School on 10th Avenue in Chelsea. While walking, she has to cross four Avenues, all of which are fast-moving arteries through the Chelsea neighborhood (7th Avenue, 8th Avenue, 9th Avenue, and 10th Avenue). 10th Avenue is especially terrifying, because of both the speeds of the vehicles and the number of large trucks. With speed cameras, drivers would be forced to change their behavior and realize that they are putting lives, many of them school children, at risk. It’s a simple change of behavior that could save lives and create a saner commute for all.”

— Lisa Sladkus, Manhattan

“My 13 year-old son commutes each day by scooter from our home on 97th Street and Columbus Avenue to the Cathedral School on 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Many of his classmates also commute on foot. Last spring, an adult pedestrian was killed by a bus right by the school entrance. While that fatality did not involve speeding, it showed us that pedestrians — especially youngsters just beginning to commute on their own — are extremely vulnerable. This fall, my son’s school hosted a street safety advocate, who spoke with students about how to protect themselves when walking the streets — by waiting for the light, being aware of turning cars, etc. Drivers must be held accountable, too. Millions of people walk New York City’s streets each and every day, making this one of the most unique and livable places in the world. Quite simply, pedestrians deserve more peace of mind, and to this end, I fully support increasing the number of speed cameras to help keep drivers accountable.”

— Edie Owen, Manhattan

“My son Oscar is eight, my daughter Madeleine is four. They travel to their school, Central Park East II in Manhattan, every day either by foot or by bike. To get there, they need to cross or ride on a number of busy streets where drivers seem to see any opening as a reason to speed. This is made even more treacherous by the fact that drivers seem to see a yellow signal as an excuse to go even faster—”to make the light,” as if going one block farther will make all the difference in their day. We need speed cameras outside schools to help discourage this reckless and deadly habit.”

— J.P. Partland, Manhattan

“When you are a kid growing up in New York City, you learn the rules of the street, and you follow them. But as my very wise teenager says, no matter how much you follow the rules, when you are walking across the street, your life is in someone else’s hands, and most of those hands are on the steering wheel of a car. When drivers are speeding, they aren’t following the rules, and when rules are broken, people get hurt. Especially the people walking across the street.

Kids are crossing streets across this city, and we owe it to them to keep them safe. We need speed cameras to do this, because not everybody follows the rules.”

— Hilda Cohen, Brooklyn

“At PS139 kids I see kids as young as 7 walking home by themselves. On Booth Street, cars dare sometimes speeding by to get on 63rd Drive. A camera would help with enforcement of safety zone rules. ”

— Richard West, Queens

“At PS 175 cars sometimes cars go incredibly fast. What makes it it worse is there is also a playground open to the public. I think more cameras mean more enforcement. Sometimes people just don’t obey the laws unless they have a financial incentive.”

— Yvonne Shortt, Queens

Speeding violations have dropped 50% on average where speed safety cameras are installed.

For Parents/Teachers

There is nothing more important than your child’s and students’ safety. Right now, more than 1 million New York City schoolkids are at heightened risk.

Traffic crashes are a leading cause of injury-related death for children in New York City, but less than 10% of New York City schools are protected by speed safety cameras.

HOW PARENTS AND TEACHERS CAN HELP THE #EVERYSCHOOL CAMPAIGN:

1. For teachers, PTA leaders, and student organizers, Families for Safe Streets has developed a student letter-writing and social media engagement kit, that also helps teach students about New York State government, how legislation is passed and traffic violence.

2. If you haven’t already, send a message to your state legislators asking them to support speed safety cameras for every New York City school.

3. Send an email to other parents or print out this paper petition.  Mail any completed petitions to: Transportation Alternatives, 111 John Street, Suite 260, New York, NY 10038 and we’ll make sure the message gets to legislators.

4. Ask your PTA, daycare, church, synagogue, or mosque to sign on to the #EverySchool Coalition.  Pledge your organization’s support, or find informational materials to share with other parents.

5. Tell your story. Testimonials from parents about dangerous speeding are very important.

Right now, over 1 million NYC students are not protected by speed safety cameras.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does New York City’s current speed safety camera program work?

NYC’s speed safety camera program is administered by the NYC Department of Transportation (not the NYPD). It uses the same radar and laser technology relied upon by law enforcement to measure a vehicle’s speed. Only if a laser-radar finds that a vehicle is exceeding the speed limit by more than ten miles per hour will it take images of the vehicle and the license plate. Images of the driver are not captured.

The violation is reviewed by a trained DOT staff technician. If the technician verifies that the identified vehicle was exceeding the speed limit by more than ten miles per hour, a ticket will be issued, provided that the speeding occurred within a school speed zone on a school day while a school speed limit was in effect (typically between 7AM and 6PM).

Under current state law, NYC can have cameras at a maximum of 140 school locations, so-called “school speed zones.” About two-thirds of cameras are fixed and remain in place, while about one-third are mobile and are moved between school zones. At any given time cameras are in operation at no more than 140 school zones.

What does the #EverySchool campaign want?

Backed by the Every School Coalition, including Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets, and thousands of parents, we are asking for speed safety cameras by as many schools as possible in New York City where speeding and crashes occur.

We currently back state legislation (S6046-C/A7798-C) that would allow speed safety cameras to operate in 290 school zones in New York City (up from the current 140) at a quarter mile from each such school, and would extend the program through 2022. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit cameras within 300 feet of a highway exit ramp, and would require signage within 300 feet of a camera to alert approaching drivers.

Aren’t speed cameras just a source of revenue for the city?

Speed safety cameras are installed to deter dangerous speeding by drivers. The only goal is to reduce injuries and fatalities.

Tickets from speed safety cameras generate revenue, just like tickets issued by NYPD and parking officers for speeding and illegal parking. In cities where cameras are used, including New York City, the revenue goes down over time because speeding goes down – with each camera issuing fewer tickets when drivers moderate their dangerous driving. The goal is to reach zero dollars in revenue as drivers stop speeding, not to make money. This is why New York City does not tie revenue from cameras to specific budget items.

Camera tickets are $50, compared to over $200 in other cities and $190 when a cyclist runs a red light in NYC. Failure to pick up canine waste carries a $250 fine in NYC.

Which schools can have cameras?

Currently, speed safety cameras can be placed near just 140 of any K-12 school in New York City, including public, charter, private and parochial schools. Current state law allows no more than 7% of K-12 schools to have speed safety cameras.

Citywide, there are 1,835 public and charter schools and 811 private and parochial schools. The city’s speed safety camera program allows cameras in so-called “school speed zones”, defined as a ¼ mile stretch of road abutting a school. Since some schools share facilities and others are located in close proximity, we estimate the city has at least 2,000 schools in at least 1,400 school speed zones.

Why not announce camera locations?

Though it is illegal to exceed the speed limit anywhere in the City of New York, the number of speed safety cameras in operation is limited to 140, protecting only a small percentage of New York City’s school zones. To help these few cameras discourage widespread speeding, camera locations are generally not announced.

Can a speed safety camera ticket cause higher insurance payments or points on a driver’s license?

No. Unlike a speeding ticket issued by a police officer, speed safety camera tickets are not used by insurance companies, nor do they incur points on the driver’s license.

Do speed safety cameras photograph every vehicle that passes by them?

No. Speed safety cameras only photograph vehicles that exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph within a school zone during school hours.

What if a speed safety camera issues a ticket erroneously?

Cameras are only triggered when the speed limit is exceeded. Equipment is evaluated regularly to ensure radar is collecting precise and accurate measurements.

The camera technology is capable of distinguishing between speeding vehicles and other, nearby vehicles, and gives drivers the benefit of the doubt, declining to issue a ticket if it is unclear which vehicle is exceeding the speed limit. Technicians who review speed camera violations do the same, rejecting all tickets where it is not readily evident which vehicle exceeded the speed limit.

What if someone else was driving my car when the violation occurred?

New York State law requires vehicle owners to be responsible for speed safety camera tickets. If your vehicle was stolen, you may provide a police report to contest the $50 fine.

Aren’t speed safety cameras unfair?

No. Drivers are only ticketed when they speed by at least 10 mph over the speed limit, and only asked to pay $50 civil fine, far less than the fine for speeding when the ticket is issued by a police officer which can exceed $500. For comparison, a bicyclist is ticketed $190 for running a red light and can risk being sent to jail for riding on the sidewalk.

Tickets given by speed safety cameras do not put points on the driver’s license, unlike tickets issued by police officers. Plus, speed safety cameras only monitor the speeding car, not the driver’s age, race or gender.

We don’t need more surveillance cameras in the city – don’t cameras add to this problem?

Speed safety cameras are not the problem. The NYPD operates more than 8,000 surveillance cameras throughout the city, every day, monitoring sidewalks, roads and other locations. Additionally, there are tens of thousands closed circuit cameras in stores, capturing images on both private and public property. Those cameras tend to record all the time and also lack the robust privacy protections of the speed camera program.

In stark contrast, there are currently just over 200 speed safety cameras (at 140 locations). With an expansion there would still be just a fraction compared to other cameras. Additionally, speed cameras only record an image when a laser detects that a vehicle on a road exceeds the speed limit by more than 10 mph, otherwise it doesn’t record or capture any images. Finally, the images captured by speed safety cameras do not capture any personal identifying features.

 

Speed safety cameras caught over 1 million speeders in 2015. NYPD officers caught less than 135,000.

Join the Coalition

 

Parent groups and community organizations are standing up to protect kids against speeding. If your organization believes that New York City kids should be protected from speeding drivers, you can join the #EverySchool Coalition.

Read the #EverySchool Coalition letter

Coalition Members

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown

NYS Assembly Member Carmen Arroyo

NYS Assembly Member Jeffrion Aubry

NYS Assembly Member Charles Barron

NYS Assembly Member Michael Blake

NYS Assembly Member Michael Benedetto

NYS Assembly Member Rodneyese Bichotte

NYS Assembly Member Robert Carroll

NYS Assembly Member Vivian Cook

NYS Assembly Member Marcos Crespo

NYS Assembly Member Steven Cymbrowitz

NYS Assembly Member Michael DenDekker

NYS Assembly Member Inez Dickens

NYS Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz

NYS Assembly Member Anthony D’Urso

NYS Assembly Member Harvey Epstein

NYS Assembly Member Sandy Galef

NYS Assembly Member Deborah Glick

NYS Assembly Member Richard Gottfried

NYS Assembly Member Pamela Harris

NYS Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman

NYS Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi

NYS Assembly Member Ellen Jaffee

NYS Assembly Member Latoya Joyner

NYS Assembly Member Ron Kim

NYS Assembly Member Joseph Lentol

NYS Assembly Member Michael Miller

NYS Assembly Member Walter Mosley

NYS Assembly Member Catherine Nolan

NYS Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell

NYS Assembly Member Félix Ortiz

NYS Assembly Member Amy Paulin

NYS Assembly Member Christine Pellegrino

NYS Assembly Member Nick Perry

NYS Assembly Member Victor Pichardo

NYS Assembly Member Dan Quart

NYS Assembly Member Jose Rivera

NYS Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez

NYS Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa

NYS Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal

NYS Assembly Member Nily Rozic

NYS Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

NYS Assembly Member Luis Sepulveda

NYS Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon

NYS Assembly Member Aravella Simotas

NYS Assembly Member Alfred Taylor

NYS Assembly Member Fred Thiele

NYS Assembly Member Michele Titus

NYS Assembly Member Clyde Vanel

NYS Assembly Member Helene Weinstein

NYS Assembly Member Jaime Williams

US Congress Member Grace Meng

NYC Public Advocate Letitia James

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer

NYS Senator Joseph Addabbo

NYS Senator Marisol Alcantara

NYS Senator Tony Avella

NYS Senator Jamaal Bailey

NYS Senator Brian Benjamin

NYS Senator Neil Breslin

NYS Senator John Brooks

NYS Senator David Carlucci

NYS Senator Leroy Comrie

NYS Senator Martin M. Dilan

NYS Senator Michael Gianaris

NYS Senator Jesse Hamilton

NYS Senator Brad Hoylman

NYS Senator Todd Kaminsky

NYS Senator Brian Kavanagh

NYS Senator Timothy Kennedy

NYS Senator Jeffrey Klein

NYS Senator Liz Krueger

NYS Senator George Latimer

NYS Senator Velmanette Montgomery

NYS Senator Jose Peralta

NYS Senator Patricia Ritchie

NYS Senator James Sanders

NYS Senator Diane Savino

NYS Senator Jose Serrano

NYS Senator Toby Ann Stavisky

NYS Senator David Valesky

NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson

NYC Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer

NYC Council Member Justin Brannan

NYC Council Member Fernando Cabrera

NYC Council Member Margaret Chin

NYC Council Member Andrew Cohen

NYC Council Member Costa Constantinides

NYC Council Member Daniel Garodnick

NYC Council Member Vanessa Gibson

NYC Council Member Robert Holden

NYC Council Member Ben Kallos

NYC Council Member Andy King

NYC Council Member Peter Koo

NYC Council Member Brad Lander

NYC Council Member Stephen Levin

NYC Council Member Mark Levine

NYC Council Member Alan Maisel

NYC Council Member Carlos Menchaca

NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez

NYC Council Member Antonio Reynoso

NYC Council Member Donovan Richards

NYC Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez

NYC Council Member Helen Rosenthal

NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca

NYC Council Member Ritchie Torres

NYC Council Member Mark Treyger

Judge Karen S. Burstein

Bob Kerrey, fmr. New School President and US Senator

Hon. Debra Cooper, NYS Democratic Committee

Hon. Trudy L. Mason, Vice Chair, NYS Democratic Cmtee

Supporting Organizations

CITY/STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS

AARP NYS

Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety

Center for Popular Democracy

Chancellor’s Presidents Advisory Council (CPAC)

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

The Cooper Union

Council of School Supervisors and Admin. (CSA)

Citizens Committee for New York City

Good Shepherd Services

JCCA

LaGuardia Community College

Local 372 School Crossing Guards Union

Lighthouse Guild

MASK (Mothers and Fathers Aligned Saving Kids)

MercyFirst

New York League of Conservation Voters

New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA)

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)

New York University

Pratt Center for Community Development

Save Kids Lives campaign (UN Road Safety Collaboration)

SCO Family of Services

Uber

UJA Federation of New York

United Federation of Teachers

United Neighborhood Houses

YMCA of Greater New York

 

HEALTH

Bronx Health Link

Bronx Health REACH

Bronx House

Downtown Women OB/GYN Associates

Family Health Center of Harlem

Health Point Chiropractic and Nutrition

HeartShare Human Services of New York

Independence Care System

Institute for Family Health

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center

Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign

Montefiore Health System

Mount Sinai Health Systems

National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA)

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County

NYS Academy of Family Physicians – NYC Cty Chapter

NYU Langone Health

Planned Parenthood of New York City

Slope Pediatrics

SBH Health System– St. Barnabas Hospital

Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness

StrataDx

 

ASSOCIATIONS, BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS

A.R. Walker & Company

Academy for Careers in Television & Film

Appalachian Mountain Club New York-North Jersey Chapter

The Architects Council of New York (ACNY)

Asociación de Mujeres Progresistas

B.R.A.K.E.S. Bay Ridge Brooklyn

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

Big Reuse

Bike New York

Biking Public Project

Broadway Housing Communities

The Broadway Mall Association

The Bronx Museum of the Arts

Bronx River Alliance

BronxWorks

The Brooklyn Historical Society

Brooklyn Arts Exchange

Brooklyn Heights Association

Brownsville Community Justice Center

Brownsville Partnership

Caldwell Enrichment Programs, Inc

CHEKPEDS

CIVITAS

Coalition for a Livable West Side

Community League of the Heights

Cooper Stock’s Way

Cyprus Hill Local Development Corp.

Dutch Kills Centraal

Easy Español

Families for Safe Streets

Five Borough Bike Club

Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park

Friends of Morningside Park

Friends of Stryker Park

Generation Q – Queens House

Get Women Cycling

Gray Panthers NYC

Groundswell

Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E.

HENRY’s Restaurant

Information for Action

Institute for Rational Urban Mobility

InTandem

Inwood Canoe Club

Island Voice

J. Liff Co.

Jackson Democratic Club

JCC Manhattan

JCC of Staten Island

Jewish Voice for Peace – New York City

Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center

Kips Bay Neighborhood Alliance

Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center

Long Island Streets

L.I.C. Community Boathouse

Make Brooklyn Safer

Make Queens Safer

Maple Street Community Garden

NAG – Neighbors Allied for Good Growth

New York Bicycling Coalition

New York Bike Lawyers

New York Cycle Club

New Settlement Apartment Houses – Bronx

The New York Flyers

New York Walkers Club

New Yorkers for Parks

NYC Mechanical Gardens Bike Coop

Nikhil Badlani Foundation

The Noguchi Museum

The North Star Neighborhood Association

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corp. (NMIC)

Partnership for After School Education

Park Slope Neighbors

Park Slope Street Safety Partnership

Pomonok Senior Center

Presbyterian Senior Services (PSS)

Project for Public Spaces

Prospect Heights Neighborhood Dev. Council

Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Assn.

Queens Bike Initiative

Queens Community House

Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association

Redbeard Bikes

Recycle-A-Bicycle

Rego Park Alliance

Safe Roads Alliance

Sara D. Roosevelt Park Coalition

Silver Lake Park Conservancy

Socrates Sculpture Park

South Bronx Overall Economic Dev. Corp. (SoBRO)

Staten Island Athletic Club

Staten Island Bicycle Association

Staten Island MakerSpace

StartUp Box #SouthBronx

StreetsAcademy

The 145th Street Alliance

Transportation Alternatives

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Vaccaro & White

Veselka

WE Bike NYC (Women’s Empowerment through Bicycles)

Weeksville Heritage Center

West 75th Street Block Association

West 80s Neighborhood Association

West Side Federation of Community and Block Assos.

West End Preservation Society

Wingspan Arts, Inc.

Word Of Life International, Inc.

SCHOOLS AND PTAs

Academy for Careers in Television and Film PTA

The Baccalaureate School for Global Education PTA

Bais Fruma Chinuch Center

Bais Sarah – Education School for Girls

Bais Yaakov D’Chassidei Gur

Bais Yitzchak Yeshiva

Bay Ridge Prep

The Beacon School Parents Association

Bet Yaakov Ateret Torah

Beth Jacob Of Boro Park

Bnos Leah Prospect Park Yeshiva

Bnos Yaakov Educational Center/ Bnos Yakov of Pupa

Bnos Yerushalayim D’Chasidei Belz

Brooklyn Heights Montessori School

Brooklyn Kids Academy

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School PTSO

The Calhoun School

Community Education Council District 9 – Bronx

Community Health Academy of the Heights

School District 14 President’s Council (Brooklyn)

DREAM Charter School

El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice

Explore Charter School

Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School

Gerrer Yeshiva Mesivta Bais Yisroel

Hastings-on-Hudson PTSA

IS 318 Academy of the Arts and Sciences

Immaculate Conception School – E. 151st Street, Bronx

Inwood Academy

Intermediate School 318

International Academy of New York

Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School

Mary McDowell Friends School

Metropolitan Montessori School

MS 2 Parkside Preparatory Academy

MS 50 John D. Wells

MS 51 William Alexander

MS 51 Parents Association

MS 447 The Math and Science Exploratory School PTA

NYC iSchool PTA

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School

Parkside Prep Academy

Poly Prep Country Day School

P141K At Is 71 School

PS 1 Courtlandt School PTA

PS 8 The Robert Fulton School PTA

PS 9 Teunis G. Bergen PTA

PS 18 John Peter Zenger PTA

PS 29 John M. Harrigan School

PS/MS 29 Melrose School PTA

PS/MS 31 the William Lloyd Garrison PTA

PS 34 Oliver H. Perry School

PS 39 Henry Bristow PTA

PS 58 Carroll School

PS 84(M) Lillian Weber School of the Arts

PS 84(M) Lillian Weber School of the Arts PTA

PS 87 William T. Sherman School PTA

PS 110 Florence Nightingale School PTA

PS 116 The Mary Lindley Murray School

PS 118 The Maurice Sendak Community School PTA

PS 130 The Parkside

PS 132 The Conselyea School

PS 133K William A. Butler  PTA

PS 139 Alexine A. Fenty

PS 139 Parents Association

PS K141 Brooklyn

PS 146 The Brooklyn New School PTA

PS 173 Fresh Meadows

PS 173 Fresh Meadows PTA

PS 261 Philip Livingston School

PS 294 The Walton Avenue School

PS 294 The Walton Avenue School PTA

PS 321 The William Penn School

PS 321 The William Penn School PTA

PS 373K The Brooklyn Transition Center

PS 705 Brooklyn Arts & Science Elementary School

Queens High School Presidents’ Council (QHSPC)

South Brooklyn Community High School

The Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation

The Renaissance Charter School

The Uni Project

Tomer Devorah D’Skwere High School

Viznitzer Chaider Tiferes Yisroel

VOICE Charter School of New York

Williamsburg Northside Schools

Williamsburg Northside Schools Parents Assn.

Yeshiva & Mesivta Torah Temimah

Yeshiva & Misivta Tiferes Elimelech

Yeshiva Chsan Sofer

Yeshiva Machzikei Hadas

Yeshiva Meor Hatalmud

Yeshiva Mevakshai Hashem

Yeshiva Shaare Torat

Yeshiva Sharei Hatzlucha

Yeshivah of Flatbush

Yeshivas Novominsk

Yeshivat Ateret Torah

 

FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

Abigail Jewels Vega Ministry

All Saints’ Episcopal Church

American Ministerial Association

B’nai Jeshurun

Boro Park YM-YWHA

Bronx Clergy Task Force

Catholic Guardian Services

Church of God’s Children

Cosmopolitan Church of the Lord Jesus

Congregation B’nai Jacob

Congregation Beth Elohim

Congregation Ramath Orah

Ebenezer United Pentecostal Church

Fulton Avenue Church of God

Hillcrest Jewish Center

Islamic Leadership School

Kehillat Tikvah: A Jewish Community of Hope

Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives

Mt. Zion CME Church

The New Generation Spirit Church of Jesus Christ

 

YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS

Art For A Start, NYC

Bronx Helpers After-School Program

Chai Tots Preschool

Children’s Aid Society

The Child Center of NY

The Children’s Village

Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy

Citizens’ Committee for Children of NY

Cub Scout Pack 174

Eden II Programs

I Challenge Myself

Girl Scout Troop 4089

Kidical Mass

Kids Ride Club

M’kekado School of Karate

Mosholu Montefiore Community Center

Phipps Neighborhoods

THE POINT Community Development Corporation

Sporting Club Gjøa Youth Soccer

Sunnyside Artworks

 

Read the #EverySchool Coalition letter

Coalition Letter

2018

The #EverySchool Campaign to Expand and Improve NYC’s Speed Safety Camera Program

Dear New York State Legislator,

New York City is on pace to lose as many children in traffic crashes in 2018 as in the prior two years combined. On behalf of the EverySchool coalition, we urge you to help ensure enactment of state legislation that will help bring the life-saving protection of speed safety cameras to more New York City students and schools – improving an already successful speed camera program. Last year, the Assembly passed A7798-B. This year, we need both Senate and Assembly passage.

Between 2010 and 2014 more than 16,000 people were either killed or severely injured in traffic on NYC streets. Speeding kills more New Yorkers than drunk driving and cell phone use combined, while motor vehicles remain a leading cause of injury-related death for our children. In recognition of this tragic trend, you and your colleagues first authorized speed enforcement cameras for 20 school zones in NYC as a demonstration program in 2013. Because of its success, in 2014 you expanded the program to 140 school zones in the city.

The existing limited program has been overwhelmingly effective: Speeding violations have dropped 63% and pedestrian crash-injuries are down more than 23% in locations with speed safety cameras. 81% of vehicle owners ticketed in school zones do not receive a second violation at the same location within at least two years.

Yet today, despite the program’s effectiveness, under state law cameras are prevented from operating at the times and locations where 85% of traffic fatalities and severe injuries occur: Cameras are only allowed to operate at 140 school zones even though there are more than 2,000 schools – preventing more than 90% of New York City’s schools the life-saving benefits of speed safety cameras, and forcing the DOT to ration this proven vaccine to select neighborhoods.

Please support this legislation to protect more New York students and communities.

The few speed safety cameras already in operation are making major safety gains, reducing injury-crashes, preserving police resources and avoiding dangerous police traffic stops. Vehicle owners are ticketed just $50 and only when the speed limit is exceeded by more than 10 mph during school hours. Drivers do not receive points on their license, cameras only capture the vehicle – they do not monitor the race, age or gender of the driver; and dangerous high-speed police vehicle pursuits are avoided – to the benefit of all road users.

The proposed legislation would allow speed safety cameras to operate in significantly more NYC school zones than the current 140 allowed, it would allow cameras to operate a quarter mile from each such school, and would extend the program to prevent it from expiring in 2018. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit cameras within 300 feet of a highway exit ramp, and would require signage within 300 feet of a school location to alert drivers of upcoming cameras.

Last year, the Assembly passed A7798-B. This year, we need both Senate and Assembly passage! Please stand up for NYC students and prevent rationing cameras to just 140 school zones of this effective and fair technology – a proven vaccine to the lethal epidemic of speeding.

Please help enact speed safety camera legislation for NYC students this session!

Sincerely,

Families for Safe Streets

Transportation Alternatives

 

*A7798-B/S6046-B