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Speed Cameras in School Zones Should Monitor Drivers 24/7, De Blasio Says

By Katie Honan | January 20, 2016 7:47am
 The cameras are currently activated when school is in session. 
The cameras are currently activated when school is in session. 
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

WOODSIDE — The city will push state lawmakers to change rules that limit when school zone speed cameras catch drivers going above the speed limit, extending enforcement all day and night, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. 

Currently, the cameras can only be placed within school zones, and are activated an hour before and after school starts, and during activities at the school, according to the Department of Transportation.

But de Blasio said Tuesday he believes those speed cameras should operate 24 hours a day — and added that officials should be allowed to place them further away from schools.

"We’re going to push to pass state legislation that will lift restrictions to allow cameras to operate overnight and on other streets," he said at a press conference discussing his Vision Zero pedestrian safety initiative. 

► 2015 Was City's Safest Year for Pedestrians in More Than a Century: Mayor

De Blasio's Pedestrian Safety Track Record by the Numbers

The city is currently authorized to have 140 speed cameras around schools, although officials don't reveal the cameras' exact locations.

Speeding tickets based on the cameras, issued only after a driver goes 10 mph above the speed limit, cost $50 each, according to the DOT.

Any change to the regulations requires state authorization. The amended rules, if approved, would extend enforcement into the summer, on nights, weekends and during school breaks. 

Since introducing Vision Zero in 2014, New York City has seen the lowest number of pedestrian deaths in more than a century, officials said.