In a safer system, we could have prevented the 16,200 deaths and countless serious injuries that took place on city streets in 2020. Traffic fatalities and serious injuries are on the rise in the US, and cities are turning up the dial on every tool they have to keep people safe on their streets. Speed safety cameras–sometimes called automated traffic enforcement, automated speed enforcement, or just speed cameras–are one such tool.
In many places, transportation agencies and local advocates are fighting for the authority to use speed safety cameras to curb extreme speeding on city streets. But while cities like New York have proven that cameras can effectively reduce speeds and crashes, many people have raised concerns about the inequitable toll that speed cameras can take on low-income drivers, particularly in low-income communities of color.
In this conversation, we’ll dive into some of the thornier questions that street safety practitioners are asking themselves about how to keep people safe and unharmed – in every way – on their streets. We welcome you to listen in on this conversation open to grappling with the grey.