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NYC Cameras Busting More Speeders on Lockdown-Emptied Streets

NYC Cameras Busting More Speeders on Lockdown-Emptied Streets

New York’s nearly deserted streets during the lockdown yielded a bonanza of speed-camera fines as drivers disregarded the city’s 25 mile-per-hour limit, according to an analysis by AAA Northeast.

The city’s 614 speed cams recorded an average of 33 violations a day between March 16 and May 22, a 43% increase over the period from Jan. 1 to March 13, according to Robert Sinclair Jr., the organization’s spokesman. Manhattan experienced the largest jump, a 149% increase.

A camera on lower Manhattan’s West Street near Leroy Street snared the most speeders -- an average of 381 a day, compared with 52 pre-pandemic. The penalty for a speed camera violation is $50, much less than a police officer’s citation, which can run as high as $600 depending on speed and location. Violators don’t incur points.

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