Philly Speed Camera Program Cuts Fatalities in Half

Excessive speeding along dangerous segments of Roosevelt Boulevard dropped by 90 percent after the city installed automated enforcement cameras.

1 minute read

September 4, 2024, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Close-up of white traffic enforcement camera mounted on concrete pole against blue sky.

olmax1975 / Adobe Stock

Traffic fatalities were cut in half along a Philadelphia boulevard after the city installed automated speed cameras. Writing in Smart Cities Dive, Dan Zukowski notes that Roosevelt Boulevard also saw a 90 percent reduction in excessive speeding in the seven months since the cameras’ installation.

The 12-lane highway through densely populated neighborhoods in Northeast Philadelphia has a posted speed limit of 45 mph. A Streetlight Data analysis found that before speed cameras, the mean speed along one segment where there have been many fatal crashes was 51 mph at 8 a.m. on an average Tuesday.

The total number of crashes on the street fell by 36 percent in a year, while that number only fell by 6 percent across the entire city. While average speeds continue to decline along the segments with cameras, other parts of the boulevard continue to pose a threat to pedestrians, warranting additional safety improvements, according to an analysis by Streetlight Data. “In 2023 the state secured a $14.5 million federal grant that will go toward curb extensions, realigned crosswalks and lane configurations, improved traffic signals and new or renovated transit stops along Roosevelt Boulevard.”

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 in Smart Cities Dive

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