The Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center will install 27 traffic cameras Downtown by early summer to quicken response times to traffic jams and accidents.
“Having people [on the street] is good, but having people with good information is better,” said Josh Rosenbloom, director of city operations for the L.M.C.C.C.
Currently, the city relies mainly on people telling them about traffic problems.
“It’s hit or miss if we get there in time,” Rosenbloom said.
The cameras will join 10 already in place and three that the State Department of Transportation has proposed. The city Department of Transportation will control the cameras, which can zoom and rotate 360 degrees. The live feeds will be available in a month or two on the D.O.T. Web site.
The cameras are part of the L.M.C.C.C.’s larger effort to reduce traffic Downtown. The agency uses variable message signs and is developing a dedicated AM radio station for traffic alerts.
Rosenbloom presented the camera plan to Community Board 1’s Quality of Life Committee last week. John Foss and other board members were concerned that the city would use the cameras for surveillance or ticketing. Rosenbloom replied that D.O.T. employees will be the only ones who can control the cameras, and anyone can monitor the footage if they are concerned about where the cameras are focused.
“These cameras exist solely for the purpose of monitoring traffic,” Rosenbloom said. “These cameras are not going to be used to record anyone’s infractions or moving violations.”
“Yet,” Foss added.
–Julie Shapiro
