PHILADELPHIA – Speed cameras will be turned on at five Philadelphia schools starting Tuesday, Feb. 17, as part of a new effort to reduce crashes and protect students in areas with the highest rates of serious injuries and fatalities.
Speed cameras to be installed at five high-risk schools
What we know:
The Philadelphia Parking Authority’s pilot program will use cameras to catch drivers going more than 11 miles over the speed limit during school hours.Â
For the first 60 days, violators will receive a warning, then starting April 20, tickets for $100 will be issued.
The cameras are being placed at Stetson Middle School on Allegheny Avenue, KIPP North Philadelphia Charter School on North 16th Street, Widener Memorial School on West Olney Avenue, High School of the Future on West Girard Avenue and Sayre High School on Walnut Street.
Dig deeper:
According to the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), the five high-priority zones were selected based on crash data from 2019–2023, which recorded 10 fatal or serious-injury crashes and 25 pedestrian crashes across these locations.
John B. Stetson Middle School: E. Allegheny Ave. (A to B Streets)• 5 serious injury crashes• 4 pedestrian crashes• 1 speeding related crash• 2 crashes resulted in serious pedestrian injuries: one from 2021 and one from 2022.KIPP North Philadelphia Charter School: N. 16th St. (Cumberland to Huntingdon)• 1 serious injury crash• 9 pedestrian crashesWidener Memorial School: W. Olney Ave. (N. Broad to N. 16th)•1 fatal crash (occurred in March 2023, at 11 AM. It was a pedestrian fatality crash at the Broad/Olney intersection.)• 5 pedestrian crashes•1 speeding related crashHigh School of the Future: W. Girard Ave. (N. 39th to N. 40th)• 2 serious injury crashes• 3 pedestrian crashes• 3 speeding related crashesWilliam L. Sayre High School: Walnut St. (S. 58th to S. 59th)• 1 serious injury crash• 4 pedestrian crashes
Raul Ruiz, a Kensington resident, said, “My neighbor over here up the block was shoveling and the truck pick came and hit him through him and I was across the street and I saw him and heard.”Â
Ruiz said he has witnessed too many crashes outside Stetson Middle School, including a crossing guard who was hit by a car and has not returned to work. “To this day, she hasn’t come back to work she got hit pretty hard,” said Ruiz.
Judy Cardona of Northeast Philadelphia said, “That’s awesome! Awesome because people don’t know how to stop we pull over sometimes just to let them go by because they almost hit us they hit us twice already.”
The Philadelphia Parking Authority says the goal is to stop speeding and save lives, pointing to previous success with speed cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard.
Residents react to new safety measures
What they’re saying:
Ruiz said, “I think It will slow it up I it think will shake people up you know because time is hard and money and people don’t have time to be paying for tickets like that.” He added, “I think it will wake up people you know make them reality check themselves but thinking about two times at a red light taking off hitting people you know that’s not cool.”
Another resident said, “It’s gonna help people they’re gonna slow down now they’re gonna have to if not they’re gonna get the ticket in the mail right?”
The city hopes these cameras will encourage drivers to slow down and prevent more crashes, especially during school hours when children are present.
What we don’t know:
It is not yet clear how long the pilot program will last or if additional schools will be added in the future.
The Source: Information from the Philadelphia Parking Association (PPA).