City To Install Over 40 Speed Cameras On Route 13
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Mayor Cherelle Parker announced today that the city of Philadelphia will be installing over 40 speed cameras along Route 13. “We do not have the exact locations of where these cameras will go, but it will encompass the entire corridor, in both directions,” Parker said.She signed legislation during a morning news briefing.
“This is not about making money or revenue, this is about saving lives,” she stated. Route 13 runs from Frankford and Knights through Baltimore Pike. It runs through North Philadelphia and goes into West Philadelphia. Speed cameras will be erected later this year along 611 from Logan through the stadium district.
Richard Lazer, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority said that speeding motorists can only get three tickets per half hour. So if (for example) a vehicle gets clocked going 56 in a 30MPH zone at 12:01 AM and that driver continues along Rt. 13 and trips six different speed cameras before 12:31 AM, the car will only be issued three tickets. At 12:32 AM , should that driver continue to speed, now more tickets can be issued.
There is an 11 MPH leeway before tickets are issued. Fines start at $100.00 and progress from there. Lazar said last year the city issued about 200,000 speed camera tickets. Most were sustained either through direct payment of fines or when people contested the violation.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Mayor Parker signs a bill into law for speed camera enforcement on Route 13.
Contesting the violation can be done in person at 100 S. Broad Street. Some tickets do get dismissed.
Not everyone is happy about this. Tom McCarey from the National Motorist Association disagrees and calls it a cash grab. ” The driver of the vehicle is not positively identified Typically, the photos taken by these cameras do not identify the driver of the offending vehicle. The owner of the vehicle is mailed the ticket, even if the owner was not driving the vehicle and may not know who was driving at the time. The owner of the vehicle is then forced to prove his or her innocence, often by identifying the actual driver who may be a family member, friend, or employee, which is a reversal of the “innocent until proven guilty” basis of our laws” He also stated that synchronization of traffic lights would deter most speeders . McCarey said that when you do that, you do not get red light or speed camera revenue.
Officials hope to have the cameras operational on 611 and Route 13 before the end of 2025. “We will take walking tours of the area and see where they could be most beneficial,” Lazer said.The Philadelphia Parking Authority will be responsible for issuing tickets and will have a liaison in the hearing room should a ticket be contested.
There are no points assessed and each location will have a 60 day warning period where only warnings, not citations will be issued, Mayor Parker said.