Published on Feb. 12 | Updated on Feb. 17
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Parking Authority is using speed cameras to compel drivers to slow down in school zones. The cameras are installed around five schools with frequent serious crashes in recent years.
A 60-day warning enforcement period for the speed cameras took effect on Tuesday, Feb. 17, around five Philadelphia schools: John B. Stetson Middle School, KIPP North Philadelphia Charter School, Widener Memorial School, the High School of the Future, and William L. Sayre High School.
Drivers going 11 mph over the 15 mph speed limit in the mornings and afternoons will be issued warnings for the first 60 days. After that point — starting April 20 — there will be $100 fines.
"These will be in enforcement on school days when the flashers are on during arrival time and departure time. So when the flashers are on, that means the cameras are on," said PPA Executive Director Rich Lazer.
Cameras have reduced speeding on Roosevelt Boulevard by 95% since they were installed six years ago.
"If we can use this operation on the deadliest road in the city, which is the Boulevard — which is no longer classified as that because this system works — we want to do that and we want to make sure we roll out these protections for our students when they're going to school," Lazer said.
The schools were chosen for the pilot program based on state and local data on fatal or serious crashes. Among the five schools, there were 10 fatal or serious-injury crashes, and 25 pedestrians were struck between 2019 and 2023, according to the PPA.
"It's not a cash grab," Lazer added. "It's all about safety. If you do not speed, you will not get a ticket."
State law allowed the pilot at only five Philadelphia schools. Lazer said unlike those on Roosevelt Boulevard or Broad Street, the school zone cameras are portable.
"If a certain zone becomes safer due to infrastructure improvements, then we can move those cameras to other locations that need them more," he said.
While the 60-day warning period officially began on Feb. 17, the cameras weren't actually turned on due to it being a district holiday — Lunar New Year — and schools are closed.
