Metro

Speed cameras lead to almost 12,000 tickets near city schools

Lead-footed drivers speeding near city schools have been slapped with a whopping 11,715 tickets thanks to the city’s new speed camera program that launched Jan. 16, the Department of Transportation said Friday.

At $50 a pop, that adds up to a potential $585,750 in revenue, a DOT spokesman said, making the reckless road warriors a new cash cow for the city.

And the eye-popping numbers were achieved even though only five of the 20 cameras authorized by the state have been used, and they can only be turned on between 7 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. under state law.

The city has placed cameras at different locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island to catch motorists driving more than 10 mph above the speed limit, which is 30 mph throughout most of the city.

While the DOT does not reveal the camera locations to retain the element of surprise, information on where they have been spotted in the past is available online.

A pedestrian crosses a street on Broadway at one of the deadliest intersections in Manhattan.Getty Images

And while some cameras are left near schools for only a few days, other spots have hosted the cameras for weeks, according to streetsblog.org, a wonky transportation website.

Since the program began, most of the tickets were issued on westbound Queens Boulevard between 58th and 53rd streets in Woodside, not far from PS 11 and IS 125, where relieved residents welcomed the crackdown.

Malcom Reynolds, 30, who walks the busy thoroughfare daily, said the cameras have made a difference.

“That makes sense. When we first moved in it seemed like maybe once a month we had an accident right here,” he said, standing at 58th Street and Queens Boulevard.

“This intersection seems to be particularly bad, but recently there have been less accidents.”

Lubna Husen, 25, who lives nearby, would like to have a camera on Queens Boulevard permanently.

“I think they should have the cameras all the time because it’s always a busy street here.”

Other top spots for tickets were:

  • Northbound Woodhaven Boulevard at 62nd Road in Queens.
  • Southbound Woodhaven Boulevard at Furmanville Avenue in Queens.
  • Eastbound Hylan Boulevard at Tysens Lane on Staten Island.
  • Southbound Ralph Avenue between Snyder Avenue and Clarendon Road in Brooklyn.

The cameras were placed in 10 other locations as well, specifically targeting streets with the highest number of pedestrian fatalities or injuries — in other words, the city’s most dangerous stretches of road.

Under state law, the cameras must be located on a street that is within a quarter-mile of a school entrance or exit. The cameras can only operate during the day due to restrictions passed in Albany that prohibit their use beyond school hours.

The city won’t reveal the locations of its cameras, but vigilant drivers have posted their locations online.

Critics say the restrictions hamper their effectiveness because most fatal accidents happen between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., though DOT officials have praised the results of the rollout.

While it’s too early in the program to determine what affect the cameras will have on pedestrian safety in New York, evidence from other cities shows speed cameras can dramatically reduce accidents, deaths and injuries caused by speeding.

The program was launched by the Bloomberg administration but also has the support of Mayor de Blasio, who, along with the the NYPD, is vowing to crack down on reckless driving by lowering the speed limit to 25 mph and stepping up enforcement.

The violations are issued in the name of the registered owner of the vehicle and do not result in points against the driver’s license or insurance penalties.

The DOT eventually intends to use all 20 cameras throughout the city.

Additional reporting by Yoav Gonen