Philly's streets could get a high-tech policing boost if a proposed expansion of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) systems is greenlit, officials said Monday. A new report backed by the City of Philadelphia and the PennDOT is advocating for ASE cameras to line State Route 611, which runs through the bulk of Broad Street. This push for electronic surveillance comes after City Councilmember Mark Squilla, hailing from the 1st District, introduced Bill No. 240434 on May 9, paving the way for ASE's implementation on Route 611.
“Automated Speed Enforcement has been extraordinarily successful in saving the lives of pedestrians and motorists on Roosevelt Boulevard,” explained Mike Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS). This statement, released in a report viewed by Vision Zero Philadelphia, captures the essence of ASE's intended impact on Broad Street, notorious for the highest rates of fatal and severe injury crashes citywide.
Since 2018, a chilling increase from 15% to 22% in speeding-related catastrophes has stained Philadelphia's roads, leading to 296 lost lives and 501 debilitating injuries over four years. It's clear that clipping the wings of rampant vehicle speeds is a critical step in mitigating the gravity of crashes. This strategy worked wonders on Roosevelt Boulevard, where the inauguration of ASE in a 2020 pilot program sniped speeding violations by a staggering 95%. Not to disconnect from the ground reality, pedestrian-involved accidents took a nosedive, halving since the cameras got to work.
Spurred by the pilot's triumph, Pennsylvania legislators have given Philly's ASE program the thumbs up to spread its wings to five additional hotspots marred by lead-footed drivers and unfortunate pedestrian run-ins. The City, after rummaging through crash data, dropped a list ranking potential ASE zones, with Routes 611, 13, 2016, 3, and 291 dominating the leaderboard. A deeper dive into the plans and data is accessible on Vision Zero Philadelphia's website for those with an eye for the details.
