47.8 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Greenfield: How Much Money Does the City Make from Ocean Pkwy Speedtrap?

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

A letter has been written to the New York City Department of Transportation by Councilman David G. Greenfield demanding they reveal of the amount of revenue that is brought in by the speed cameras installed along Ocean Parkway.

A letter has been written to the New York City Department of Transportation by Councilman David G. Greenfield demanding they reveal of the amount of revenue that is brought in by the speed cameras installed along Ocean Parkway.

Greenfield said, “The DOT promised me that they would not lower the speed limit on Ocean Parkway without community input and consent. The community is completely against lowering the speed on Ocean Parkway. We can’t let arbitrary rules trump common sense. As I made clear to the DOT when they were considering these changes last year, Ocean Parkway is not an appropriate street for a 25 mile per hour speed limit.”

The speed limit on all New York City streets was reduced to 25 miles per hour last year, as a part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative. Ocean Parkway was included in the change even though it is not like other local city streets, but instead is a heavily-trafficked bidirectional six-lane highway. The DOT has put in several speed cameras along Ocean Parkway since the speed limit was lowered to 25 miles per hour. This has resulted in the ticketing of unsuspecting drivers, many of whom are just keeping up with the flow of traffic.

“Through the placement of these cameras, the DOT has turned portions of Ocean Parkway into an unfair speed trap,” Greenfield said. “This is an example of a New York agency failing to listen to the concerns of New Yorkers. Our transportation policy should not be about making money but rather the safety of New Yorkers.”

As drivers try to avoid the increased traffic on Ocean Parkway, since the start of the new speed limit, traffic has increased on the surrounding narrower residential streets, according to area residents. Greenfield’s office has been receiving many calls from residents who are unhappy with the changes, and in an attempt to bring greater transparency to the issue Greenfield wrote his letter to the Department of Transportation.

“Speed cameras can be a useful tool to promote driver and pedestrian safety, but when they are used in conjunction with an unfairly low speed limit, we have a classic speedtrap. At a minimum, the DOT should be up-front with Brooklyn residents and reveal how much money it’s making from its unfair speed trap on Ocean Parkway,” Greenfield said.

Sam Stein

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -