Broad Street speed cameras on schedule to go live in mid-September, followed by 60-day grace period, PPA says
The Philadelphia Parking Authority says all speed cameras along Broad Street will be installed by the end of the month.
The cameras will go live in mid-September during a 60-day grace period when speeding drivers will be given a warning, the PPA says.
On Wednesday, city crews were out installing the last of the 30 automated speed cameras that will be placed at 15 different intersections.
The cameras will start in South Philadelphia at Broad and Pattison streets and extend all the way up to Old York Road near Cheltenham Avenue.
"It's like a highway," Carl Robinson, who lives in Philadelphia, said. "Sometimes they run through the light because they are going so fast they can't stop."
Anthony Nelson added, "We're always having to look to make sure you don't get sideswiped or something."
Broad Street is not the first area in the city to get speed cameras. They were also installed on Roosevelt Boulevard a few years ago.
Corinne O'Connor with the PPA says they've proven to be effective in reducing speeding and crashes on the Boulevard, and she hopes the same will be true for Broad.
"The less people that are speeding, the less likely of seeing a crash or someone getting injured," O'Connor said.
Nelson supports the cameras if it means drivers will slow down.
"I think it's a good thing," he said. "Anything that is better for the community in terms of safety, I think, is a credit, is a plus."
But not everyone we spoke to is happy about the cameras, including Roi Greene.
"It's a money grab. It's a money grab for the city," he said.
After the 60-day grace period, the PPA says drivers going more than 11 mph or more over the speed limit could face a fine of up to $150.
Enforcement is expected to begin in mid-November.