Transportation Alternatives' recently-released report Terminal Velocity: New York City's Speeding Epidemic documents drivers' speeds at 13 of the most dangerous locations in the five boroughs. In one of the largest surveys of its kind conducted in the city, T.A. found that, citywide, 39% of motorists are driving above the 30 mph citywide speed limit (see chart for individual survey location data). Speeding causes over 2,300 motor vehicle crashes in the city every year. A drop in speed from 40 mph to 30 mph lowers the likelihood that a struck pedestrian will die from 70 to 40%.

Lax enforcement of moving vehicles and streets designed for higher speeds make many NYC streets dangerous and unfriendly to pedestrians. NYCDOT's aggressive pursuit of traffic calming under Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan has helped, but the city could do more if the State Legislature allowed it to install speed enforcement cameras. Washington D.C.'s installation of speed cameras helped lower traffic fatalities in the city by 30% and reduced the average speed by 8 mph, according to Transportation Alternatives. In Great Britain, areas where cameras were installed saw reductions in death and serious injuries in automobile accidents of 35%.

While NYCDOT and the NYPD both support efforts to install speed cameras, legislation has been stymied in Albany. A 2004 bill allowing NYC to install cameras died in the Assembly Transportation Committee; committee chair David Gantt has fought red-light, bus lane, and speed camera bills for years. Advocates have also turned their attention towards the State Senate and the new Senate Transportation Committee Chair Martin Dilan. (A Transportation Alternatives action alert aimed at Dilan is here.)

There are some bright spots for speed cameras in the region, however. Gov. Paterson's 2009-2010 Executive Budget allocates funds to the State Police for speed cameras in highway work zones and select stretches of highway. In neighboring Connecticut, Gov. Jodi Rell has proposed creating a speed camera pilot program in her FY2010 and 2011 budget. Despite a restriction on using cameras to levy tickets or collect revenue, the town of West Hartford installed the state's first speed enforcement camera at a dangerous intersection. The town's police department plans to use it as a traffic calming tool, mailing warnings to drivers caught speeding.