Speed Cameras Snap into Place on Broad Street, Cracking Down on Excessive Speeds
A new era of traffic enforcement has dawned on Philadelphia's notorious Broad Street, as the city starts issuing tickets to drivers who blow past the 25 mph speed limit. The automated cameras, which were first installed in September, are now live and sending notices to motorists who fail to slow down.
Under the new system, drivers caught speeding can expect a bill in the mail – ranging from $100 to $150 depending on how much they overdid it. Those who cruise past the limit at 11-19 mph above will face a fine of $100, while those who speed by at 20-29 mph over will be slapped with a $125 fee, and drivers who exceed the limit by 30 mph or more will be hit with a steeper $150 penalty.
The city's motivations for implementing this crackdown are clear: to reduce car accidents on Route 611 – which includes Broad Street and Old York Road. The numbers are stark: between 2020 and 2024, there were 206 fatal or serious injury crashes on the route alone.
Mayor Cherelle Parker was quick to praise the new system when it launched last September, saying "Broad Street is one of the city's busiest and most dangerous roads, and we're taking steps to make it safer... Speed cameras save lives." And while the jury's still out on whether these cameras will truly drive down accidents, the data from Roosevelt Boulevard – where a similar enforcement program has been in place since 2020 – suggests that they're at least worth a try.
Since their installation, fatal and serious injury crashes have dropped by 21% – and speeding tickets have plummeted by an impressive 93%. The city's hoping to replicate this success with the new cameras on Broad Street.
A new era of traffic enforcement has dawned on Philadelphia's notorious Broad Street, as the city starts issuing tickets to drivers who blow past the 25 mph speed limit. The automated cameras, which were first installed in September, are now live and sending notices to motorists who fail to slow down.
Under the new system, drivers caught speeding can expect a bill in the mail – ranging from $100 to $150 depending on how much they overdid it. Those who cruise past the limit at 11-19 mph above will face a fine of $100, while those who speed by at 20-29 mph over will be slapped with a $125 fee, and drivers who exceed the limit by 30 mph or more will be hit with a steeper $150 penalty.
The city's motivations for implementing this crackdown are clear: to reduce car accidents on Route 611 – which includes Broad Street and Old York Road. The numbers are stark: between 2020 and 2024, there were 206 fatal or serious injury crashes on the route alone.
Mayor Cherelle Parker was quick to praise the new system when it launched last September, saying "Broad Street is one of the city's busiest and most dangerous roads, and we're taking steps to make it safer... Speed cameras save lives." And while the jury's still out on whether these cameras will truly drive down accidents, the data from Roosevelt Boulevard – where a similar enforcement program has been in place since 2020 – suggests that they're at least worth a try.
Since their installation, fatal and serious injury crashes have dropped by 21% – and speeding tickets have plummeted by an impressive 93%. The city's hoping to replicate this success with the new cameras on Broad Street.