Vance to Albany Obstructionists: Stop Blocking Speed Cams

Pretty much every line of Cy Vance’s op-ed on the value of speed cameras is worthy of an excerpt. But the takeaway should be this: Every relevant sector of city government has endorsed the proposed NYC speed camera demonstration program.

As Manhattan’s top law enforcer, whose office is separate from the Bloomberg administration, Vance’s support carries extra weight.

Wrote Vance in today’s AMNY:

The pilot program has strong support from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and the police commissioner — the people who know best which safety measures are likely to be effective.

Unfortunately, none of us has a vote in Albany — we can only beg, plead and loudly encourage our colleagues in government to do the right thing for New York City: Give us the ability to save lives by using this important tool to make our streets safer, encourage responsible driving and reduce crashes.

The question is whether lawmakers Marty Golden and Simcha Felder, who represent NYC in Albany, will get out of the way of a measure that will make city streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

To those who have to this point blocked the speed cam program, Vance said: “The argument made by the few remaining opponents of speed cameras — that we are choosing cameras over more police officers — is a red herring. Speed cameras will not reduce the number of police officers in our neighborhoods. They will add to our safety, not detract from it.”

With near-unanimous support at the city level, will Golden and Felder continue to obstruct?