Senator Golden Finally Calls On Senate To Pass Speed Camera Bill

After a 24-hour vigil outside his office and a rally near a public school, State Senator Marty Golden is calling for the Senate to reconvene to pass the speed camera bill.

The bill, S. 6046-C, will enhance and renew the speed camera program that allows for cameras to be placed outside of schools. It currently permits 140 speed-cameras, which are placed near less than 10 percent of schools in NYC. The program is set to expire on July 25th.

Just 80 of the schools that are open during the summer, serving 200,000 students currently have speed-cameras nearby.

Speed-camera legislation was passed by the Assembly last month and has the support of Mayor de Blasio and 33 co-sponsors in the State Senate. After initially supporting the bill, Golden a few weeks ago co-sponsored a bill that would end the speed camera program in six months and replace them with stop signs and traffic lights, also supported by State Senators Andrew Lanza and Simcha Felder.

Now, Golden is calling on Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan to reconvene and call a vote on S. 6046-C.

“Since the State legislative session concluded nineteen days ago,” Golden’s office said, “Senator Marty Golden has strongly echoed the calls of his constituents, advocates, and victims’ families, urging his colleagues to return to Albany and pass the speed camera legislation.”

Transportation Alternatives, an organization that advocated for speed cameras and repeatedly called on Golden to reconvene, issued this statement earlier today.

“We’re pleased to see that Senator Golden has finally decided to heed the calls of his constituents, victims of traffic violence, and people from across New York City, who have put consistent pressure on him over the last several weeks to use his influence in the Senate to prevent the city’s proven speed safety camera program from expiring. The Senator said he believes anything less than an extended and expanded speed camera program would be an ‘unacceptable failure.’ We couldn’t agree more.

“There is more than enough support to get the bill passed and on to Governor Cuomo’s desk, but Senator Flanagan needs to let the New York Senate vote their conscience on this life-saving bill. Golden’s legacy as an influential senator who prioritizes his constituents’ safety depends on his ability to get the job done and convince Senator Flanagan to do the right thing. And we intend to keep the pressure on him until he does.”