Eyes on the Street: Day Seven Without Speed Cameras

This was the scene yesterday afternoon on West 88th Street, around the corner from PS 166 and the Dwight and Trevor Day School, where the driver of this Mazda amassed enough speed to flip it on its side.

Will Schneider, who took this photo, says the driver told witnesses “he took a swipe at a spider and next thing he knew he was upside down…”

Through sheer luck, no one was hurt. No one was biking next to this driver on 89th Street and at the moment he lost control. No kids were crossing the street.

We can’t say with certainty whether this exact crash would have occurred if New York City’s school zone speed cameras were still turned on. But there’s no doubt that the speed cameras — which expired last week thanks to the inaction of Governor Cuomo and state senators John Flanagan, Marty Golden, and Simcha Felder — kept this behavior in check.

Until the State Senate votes to turn the cameras back on, more drivers will speed more often, putting us all at more risk.