Philadelphia’s Speed Cameras Are Working

Speeding violations plummeted after automated enforcement cameras were installed along Roosevelt Boulevard.

1 minute read

July 9, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


View of three-lane Roosevelt Boulevard with green Roosevelt Expressway road sign in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons

After Pennsylvania legalized speed cameras in 2018, “there was a substantial and statistically significant reduction in fatalities and crashes,” reveals a new study from the University of Pennsylvania.

As Maylin Tu explains in Next City, “Starting in June 2020, the city of Philadelphia placed cameras at eight locations and issued warnings to vehicles going 11 miles or more over the speed limit. After a 60-day grace period, speeding vehicles were fined.” The Philadelphia Parking Authority found a 90 percent reduction in speeding violations along the sections of Roosevelt Boulevard where the cameras were installed.

Speed cameras, sometimes known as automated traffic enforcement, are a controversial tool that some safety advocates say saves lives but which critics say disproportionately targets minority and low-income drivers and can be a ‘cash grab’ for cities rather than a true safety effort. “According to traffic safety advocates, it’s important for money to be reinvested directly into the community where the speed cameras are located. In the case of the pilot, the money is going to fund traffic safety projects, including $12 million to improve Roosevelt Boulevard by adding curb extensions and permeable pavement, among other upgrades.”

Monday, July 8, 2024 in Next City

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

5 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Looking out at trees on 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism

After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

2 hours ago - Torched

White and blue Sacramento regional transit bus with one bike on front bike rack.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras

The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

2 hours ago - Streetsblog California

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum

Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.

4 hours ago - Next City