By David Cruz 

Two days before the new school year began, Mayor Bill de Blasio stopped by Van Cortlandt Village to announce the installation of new speed cameras at Bronx schools, complementing the city’s traffic-reduction efforts so far.

And though a breakdown of which schools will get the cameras hasn’t been released, the northwest Bronx may receive a swell of the cameras thanks to some unfortunate statistics.

“Speed cameras are a wakeup call, they change behavior,” said Mayor de Blasio, flanked by officials in front of P.S. 95, a grammar/middle school at Sedgwick and Hillman avenues Sept. 2. On Sept. 4 the streets are expected to be congested, with parents dropping off their kids for the next nine months of the school year.

In the backdrop of the announcement were two Ford Setina’s each equipped with a mobile speed camera, which snaps a photo of a driver who blows past a school zone 10 miles above the speed limit. Violators are hit with a $50 fine.

Broadening The Program
The expanded program, which began as a pilot project during the Bloomberg Administration, costs roughly $14 million. Revenue in the form of fines has offset those costs by $9 million. In all there will be 120 new cameras affixed to either cars or lampposts throughout the city, adding assistance to the 20 speed cameras already in place. Three cameras have been installed and calibrated, with roughly 40 new cameras to be hoisted by the end of the year.

Though P.S. 95 is slated to be in the mix of schools that will benefit from the cameras, the DOT did not provide a breakdown over which schools will receive the cameras.

But priority will be given to school zones with an unfortunate history of high traffic-related incidents, with input on the installations to be provided by local community boards. According to traffic statistics, from 2008 to 2012 there were 42 traffic-related incidents reported in front of P.S. 95. Seven of those 42 involved a pedestrian injury. The volume of accidents deemed P.S. 95 to be located in a high crash corridor.

A high crash corridor list compiled by the DOT during the Bloomberg Administration detailed some high speed zones in school districts within the northwest Bronx, mainly the Belmont/Fordham neighborhoods. Among them include:

• P.S. 81 Robert J. Christen – 5550 Riverdale Ave. – Riverdale
• Bronx Community Charter School – 2348 Webster Ave. – Fordham Heights/Belmont
• P.S. 159 Luis Munoz Marin Biling – 2315 Washington Ave. – Fordham Heights/Belmont
• P.S. 163 Arthur A. Schomburg School – 2075 Webster Ave. – Fordham Heights/Belmont
• P.S. 209 – 313 East 183rd St. – Fordham
• P.S. 23 The New Children’s School – 2151 Washington Ave. – Belmont
• P.S. 59 The Community School of Technology – Fordham Heights/Belmont
• Ryer Avenue Elementary School – 230 E 183rd St. – Fordham Heights/Belmont
• The Angelo Patri School and Theatre Arts Production Company – 2225 Webster Ave. – Fordham/Belmont

The DOT did not disclose a concrete plan to determine which school zones will see cameras, though the installation will be data driven, with officials taking into account the number of traffic accidents and traffic-related injuries.

Advocates Push For Cameras
The need for speed cameras began with advocates pushing for a change in the culture of driving. In the Bronx, Greg Thompson Jr. of Tremont is part of Families for Safe Streets, a grassroots group that spreads awareness on safer driving. Thompson was compelled to be a founding member following the death of his sister, killed by a driver in Manhattan.

“No one should know the pain I know from losing a sister,” said Thompson. “All it takes is a second to be inconsiderate for a family like mine to suffer what we’re suffering right now.”

After the City Council heard about the need for more cameras, the state responded with Governor Andrew Cuomo signing a bill authorizing New York City to install additional speed cameras within a quarter-mile of a school zone. Drivers are mandated to drive within the 20mph restriction to take into account passing school children.

The news came with relief for Yani Fernandes, a resident of Amalgamated Houses living near P.S. 95. On school days she’s seen plenty of drivers pick up speed only to make a hard stop.

“It’s just very crazy in this area,” said Fernandes, also pointing down the block to a five point intersection that produces all types of hectic maneuvering.

It will take up to two years for all 120 new cameras to be installed.