Lee on equity concerns in camera placement across boroughs
Lee raises concerns about transit desert areas like Southeast Queens having more cameras versus midtown Manhattan, and asks about racial and economic equity in placement decisions.
when we're looking at the data, there are some parts of the city that have more crashes, but it's also probably because those are transit desert areas where there's more cars being utilized versus other modes of transportation.
And so just wondering how that's factored in to a place, for example, like Southeast Queens that has a very high number of red light speed light cameras versus somewhere in midtown Manhattan.
I think it's important to note to start that the vast majority of drivers, once they get one violation, it doesn't happen again.
So, you know, I think in an ideal world, we would not get any revenue, you know, from these programs if everybody's following the law.
So as First Deputy Commissioner Forgione said, we really try to follow the data and ultimately our North Star is moving towards zero traffic fatalities.
Yeah, no.
That's definitely the goal.
And actually, that leads to my next question, because if the cameras move around, because I think what happens is that usually drivers become familiar with where certain speed cameras are.
And, you know, it's usually on some of the apps like Waze, for example, right?
So it sort of notifies you, which is not a bad thing because it'll help people to slow down.
But if the new cameras get moved, how's the community notified?
Is it done in different?
Has DOD conducted any analysis specifically on equity, whether it's based on racial or economic data related to camera placements, which is sort of what I was getting at?
So we are able to relocate the cameras.
In terms of notifying the community, frankly, to be honest, the idea with all of our camera enforcement programs is not that you're aware that there's a camera in any given spot and you adjust your behavior.
We want drivers to drive as if they need to comply with all of the rules and the laws, regardless of whether or not there's a camera.
And maybe they should assume that there could be a camera everywhere, and that will better guide the behavior.