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NYC Wants To Use Speed Cameras To Catch Lead Foot Drivers

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- The city hopes a proposal involving hi-tech cameras will help catch drivers with a lead foot.

The speed cameras could capture the speeding violation, snap a photo of their license plate and have a summons sent directly to their home without them even knowing about it.

Some argue the move would be the latest attempt by Mayor Bloomberg's administration to regulate behavior. However some, including Lindsey Ganson of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, said the cameras were necessary.

"Speeding is the number one cause of deadly crashes in New York City," Ganson told CBS 2's John Metaxas.

Some drivers that spoke with CBS 2 on Monday were okay about the idea.

"It will help to minimize accidents," one driver said.

"It's a great idea to keep the city safe, especially from cab drivers," another man said laughing.

The city already has 150 red light cameras and last year it installed cameras to monitor unauthorized use of bus only lanes.

However, AAA's Robert Sinclair said unlike red light cameras, the speed cameras would not get the job done.

"It's sort of ceding responsibility that a police officer should have for removing a truly reckless speeder off the road and giving it to a camera that does nothing to take that reckless speeder off the road," he said.

Sinclair also said he had suspicions about the city's motivation for the proposed move.

"It's curious that the timing of this would come up now when we're facing fiscal difficulties," Sinclair said, "[AAA] sees this only as revenue enhancement opportunity."

A speed cameras bill has been introduced in Albany, where it would still need to pass to become law.

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