The ASE program’s goal is to reduce excessive speeding, which causes fatal and serious injury crashes
PHILADELPHIA – Today, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker ceremonially signed Bill No. 241030 into law allowing for the use, administration, and enforcement of automated speed cameras on State Route 13 within Philadelphia. This piece of legislation marked another important step forward in improving and enhancing public safety in Philadelphia.
“I promised to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest city in the nation with access to economic opportunity for all,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “This program is a key part of making Philadelphia safe for all citizens, whether they are traveling by foot, bike, public transportation, or car. We chose to have this signing today to commemorate the last day of National Passenger Safety Week. Automated Speed Cameras work and they help save lives.”
The bill was sponsored by Councilmember Mike Driscoll (6th District), as well as all members of the Streets Committee, and unanimously passed City Council on December 5, 2024.
“We welcome the installation of speed cameras along Frankford Avenue (Rt. 13) in the 6th District,” said Councilmember Mike Driscoll (6th District). “It sends a strong message that we will not tolerate reckless speeding and unsafe driving, penalizing violators through fines and photo enforcement. This public safety measure will help protect residents walking through their communities and the law-abiding drivers along Frankford Avenue.”
Since 2018, speeding-related crashes have increased from 15 percent to 22 percent of all severe crashes in Philadelphia. This alarming number of speeding-related crashes has led to 296 deaths and 501 suspected serious injuries from 2018 to 2022. To reduce traffic deaths, it is necessary to reduce vehicle speeds. Lower vehicle speeds lead to less severe crashes.
Automated speed cameras were first used by the City, in partnership with the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA), in 2020 along Roosevelt Boulevard through a pilot program permitted by the state legislature to curb speeding on the city’s most dangerous road. The program reduced speeding violations on the corridor by 95 percent and pedestrian-involved crashes have been reduced by 50 percent since the cameras were put in place.
“Speed enforcement cameras are saving lives every day in Philadelphia,” said Richard Lazer, Executive Director, Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA). “They’ve reduced speeding significantly along Roosevelt Blvd. The PPA is committed to continue working with Mayor Parker and her team again, on this vitally important public safety initiative to reduce speeding along the Rt. 13 corridor – the same way we reduced speeding on Roosevelt Boulevard.”
Pennsylvania Route 13 is comprised of sections of Baltimore Avenue, 38th Street, Powelton Avenue, 33rd and 34th Street, Girard Avenue, Hunting Park Avenue, Roosevelt Boulevard, Levick and Robbins Street, and Frankford Avenue.
Route 13 passes through Councilmember Driscoll’s 6th District, but also the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th Council Districts, and borders the 9th and 10th Districts.
From 2019 to 2023, Route 13 experienced 123 fatal and serious injury crashes, 160 speeding-related crashes, and 258 pedestrian crashes. Route 13 was ranked the 2nd most dangerous state route in Philadelphia according to an analysis by the City of Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS). Speed is the top determinant in the likelihood of a crash and its severity.
“The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has been fighting for safer streets for the past 50 years and we applaud the efforts of Councilmember Mike Driscoll, Deputy Managing Director Mike Carroll and his staff at OTIS, Rich Lazer and his staff at PPA, and Mayor Parker for working collaboratively to make our streets safer for everyone,” said Chris Gale, Executive Director, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “When vehicles travel at slower speeds, everyone is safer, and this legislation helps slow vehicles on Route 13.”
“When I was first appointed chair of the House Transportation Committee, I made road safety one of my top priorities,” said State Representative Ed Neilson. “Automatic Speed Enforcement played a huge role in protecting drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists on our roads, data shows that speeding along our busiest road, Roosevelt Boulevard, has decreased by 95 percent. I want to thank Mayor Parker and my colleagues in the PA House for working with me to make our streets safer for everyone.”
Due to the success of the Roosevelt Boulevard pilot, the state legislature has permitted the City to expand the ASE program to five additional corridors with high levels of speeding and pedestrian-related crashes. The City evaluated state and local routes and ranked them based on crash data.