PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Red light and speed cameras across Philadelphia are doing more than slowing drivers down. Money collected from those fines is now being reinvested into road safety projects across the city, including traffic-calming measures planned for busy Lincoln Drive.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced it will invest $13 million through its Automated Speed Enforcement program to support six traffic safety projects across Philadelphia.
PennDOT said the investment is part of the Shapiro administration’s broader effort to improve roadway safety statewide.
“Dangerous driver behavior – like speeding – makes everyone on the road less safe,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “This program aims to discourage speeding and change people’s behavior, and invest those funds back in the community, in projects that help keep everyone safe.”
The approved funding includes $500,000 to expand the Automated Speed Enforcement program through additional speed cameras along approved corridors and in school zones.
Another $1.5 million will go toward pre-development planning under the Highway Safety Improvement Program, which typically includes traffic signal upgrades, lane and crosswalk markings, and intersection modifications.
PennDOT is also allocating $5 million for the design and construction of multimodal transportation and safety improvements intended to reduce crashes and improve accessibility. Project locations include portions of Frankford Avenue, 52nd Street, Hunting Park Avenue, and Germantown Avenue.
Additional funding includes $2 million for intersection improvements designed to slow traffic and reduce pedestrian and cyclist vulnerability, and another $2 million to design intersection modifications along Torresdale Avenue and Rising Sun Avenue, including bus boarding islands and pavement markings.
Another $2 million will fund traffic calming measures such as speed humps and speed cushions throughout the city. That funding includes work along Lincoln Drive, from Kelly Drive to Wayne Avenue, as well as speed humps at 100 Philadelphia schools.
Lincoln Drive has been the site of serious crashes in the past. In January, a man was killed in a head-on crash near Gypsy Lane involving two other vehicles.
Drivers who regularly travel the corridor say speeding is common.
“People easily do like 45 mph vs 25,” said Eden Sabala of Germantown.
Some drivers question whether speed humps are the right solution.
“I get their motive and the intention behind it, I just don’t think this is the best road for that,” said James Holzwarth of South Philadelphia. “You’re probably inadvertently gonna cause more chaos than you’re trying to prevent.”
Sabala said the changes could also catch drivers off guard.
“I would hope that it would slow people down, but I think it might surprise a lot of people,” she said.
PennDOT said while the agency has approved the funding, it is up to the city to carry out the projects. A timeline for when work could begin has not yet been announced.
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