Notice any new speed cameras? We want to hear from you

nws speed camera

NYC speed camera on St. Paul's Avenue, near PS 65. (Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With New York City’s massive school zone speed camera expansion starting Thursday, the Staten Island Advance is on the hunt for new speed cameras being installed throughout the borough.

As of Thursday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin expanding the city’s speed camera program from 140 to 750 school zones, installing between 40 to 60 new cameras per month throughout the city in the coming year.

With all of these new cameras coming to Staten Island, coupled with the fact that the DOT refuses to provide or confirm speed camera locations, the Advance is seeking tips for newly installed cameras.

The Advance typically determines speed camera locations based off New York City’s Open Data portal, which shows all speed camera tickets issued throughout the city.

However, the data set is only updated once per month, meaning it can take weeks after installation and activation for a camera to be publicly reported by the city.

With that in mind, the Advance is asking Staten Islanders to provide tips regarding any new speed cameras they observe being installed throughout the borough.

Readers can email the tips, including a location and photo, if possible, to transportation reporter Erik Bascome at or to


The speed camera expansion is set to increase the number of school zones encompassed by the program by more than five-fold, while also extending the hours of operation and increasing the radial distance in which they can operate.

The number of school zones with speed cameras will increase from 140 to 750, an increase of approximately 436 percent.

The New York Times has reported that the program could ultimately result in over 2,000 cameras placed throughout the 750 zones, though the DOT would not confirm this.

The DOT is expected to install cameras at a rate of 40 per month through the end of 2019, increasing the rate to 60 per month in 2020. DOT expects to reach the maximum 750 school zones by June 2020, according to a letter from DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

The expanded program will feature extended hours, with cameras now permitted to operate year-round on weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., including school and summer vacations. Under the previous programs, cameras were only permitted to operate during school activity hours.

The language in the new law will now allow cameras to be placed within a quarter-mile radial distance of a school, as opposed to the previous law that required the cameras to be placed within a quarter-mile of the school along an abutted street.

Motorists who are photographed exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour at a speed camera location will continue to receive a $50 fine.