New York State Assembly Members Propose Installing Automatic Ticketing Cameras for Double-Parking

New York City currently uses automatic cameras to issue tickets for running red lights, speeding, and illegally parking in bus lanes. Now, state legislators are looking to further penalize illegal parking behavior, such as double parking.

According to Gothamist, Queens state assemblyman Steven Raga is pushing for a $35 million pilot program to install 150 cameras specifically aimed at identifying and punishing double parking and other illegal parking violations.

In a letter to State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Raga stated that with the significant increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, manual enforcement is no longer effectively addressing the issues of double parking and illegal parking.

Raga suggested that these cameras should be placed in busy city areas, especially bike lanes, commercial loading zones, or no-parking zones, to enhance automated enforcement. He also urged for the cost of these cameras to be included in the state budget negotiated by the state legislature and Governor Hochul. Raga also noted that reporting illegal parking through the 311 service hotline has had minimal impact.

However, some Democratic lawmakers oppose further expanding automated camera enforcement. State Senator Simcha Felder from South Brooklyn believes that a more traditional approach should be taken, allowing police to randomly issue tickets and deduct points from driving licenses.

Data shows that last year, 253 people died in car accidents in New York City, a slight decrease from the 261 deaths in the previous two years. At the end of last year, the city government received approval to expand the number of red light cameras from 150 intersections to 600 intersections.

According to data from the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), at intersections where red light cameras were installed, the rate of side-impact crashes decreased by 13%. Additionally, the department points out that of the drivers who received tickets in 2023, 95% of them only received one or two tickets, indicating that drivers improve their behavior after being penalized.

DOT spokesperson Anna Correa stated in a release that the DOT supports this legislative proposal and is reviewing its content.