More than a dozen speed cameras will be installed in a few months on Broad Street. Philadelphia Parking Authority officials say they expect the new cameras to save lives. NBC10’s Karen Hua explains.
Broad Street now holds the title of the most dangerous street in Philadelphia.
Previously, data showed that Roosevelt Boulevard was the most dangerous, but since speed cameras were put up in 2020, the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) says speeding has dropped by about 90 percent, and crashes have dropped by about 35 percent.
The data is consistent with that from Traffic Victims PHL, a program run by the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition.
"14 people have been killed on Broad Street just this year, which compares to four people who have been killed on Roosevelt Boulevard," said Nicole Brunet of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
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Now, more than a dozen cameras will be placed up and down Broad Street in February 2025 to hopefully prevent more incidents.
PPA Executive Director Rich Lazer says they're still researching which intersections to put the cameras at, but there will be 15 on North and South Broad.
"So everybody thinks, oh, it's about violations about revenue. It's not; it's about saving lives. And I think that's why we wanted to show who would effects," said Lazer.
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The agency has started running ads with two women, Reverend Stephanie Evans and Latanya Byrd, who both lost family members due to drivers speeding on both Broad Street and Roosevelt Boulevard.
"My son Robert stepped out of his pickup truck to get something to eat, and a driver was just speeding down Broad Street," Evans said in the campaign video.
"I lost four family members in a crash on Roosevelt Boulevard," said Byrd.
The PPA will also put signs on SEPTA buses, hoping to give drivers plenty of warning about the new speed cameras.
In the first two months, once the cameras are up, drivers who go more than 11 miles an hour over the speed limit will be mailed a warning; after that, the fine will be $100.
Additionally, the PPA is researching more roads to add speed cameras, hoping to implement them in the next few years.
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