In an effort to curb excessive speed and enhance road safety, the City of Philadelphia, together with the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), has expanded its Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program. Spanning the full length of Broad Street and a portion of Old York Road, the ASE cameras are set to activate on September 15, as reported by the City of Philadelphia. Initially, the program will enter a 60-day warning period, where offending drivers will receive cautionary warnings rather than tickets.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker stressed the significance of the initiative, "Broad Street is one of the city's busiest and most dangerous roads, and we're taking steps to make it safer," in a statement per the City of Philadelphia. She mentioned the success of the speed cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard, citing how they have "slowed driver speeds, reduced pedestrian crashes, and saved lives." The fines for speeding begin at $100 for exceeding the limit by 11-19 mph and escalate up to $150 for speeds over 30 mph, but drivers won't face points on their licenses. The PPA's ASE program webpage publicly lists all 15 camera locations, in keeping with transparency objectives.
Rich Lazer, Executive Director of PPA, mirrored the sentiment regarding the importance of speed enforcement tools, as he pointed to the positive outcome seen along Roosevelt Boulevard. Since the ASE cameras' installation, there's been a reported 95 percent reduction in speeding violations and a halving of pedestrian-involved accidents. It was this evidence that likely fueled Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's decision in December 2023 to sign House Bill 1284, effectively solidifying the ASE pilot on Roosevelt Boulevard while also permitting expansions to additional corridors and piloting in school zones.
A joint analysis by the City and PennDOT identified Route 611 as the street with the highest rate of speed-related crashes and fatalities, with 206 fatal and serious injury crashes recorded between 2020 and 2024. "Speed enforcement cameras are critically important tools that have dramatically reduced speeding along Roosevelt Boulevard," said Lazer. The research findings have put Broad Street at the forefront of the latest implementation. Following this, Mayor Parker enacted Bill No. 240434 and 241030 in 2024, authorizing ASE installations on State Routes 611 and 13.
