Officials hold conference to further explain school speed zone cameras

BAY RIDGE -With classes starting Thursday, officials want residents to be completely aware of the speed cameras in school zones as well as longer hours of enforcement. Sen. Andrew Gounardes held a conference Wednesday at Fontbonne Hall Academy for the announcement. He sponsored the school zone speed camera expansion law behind these changes. Sen. Gounardes was joined by NYPD Transportation Chief Thomas Chan and DOT Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray. The new traffic enforcement measures are included under Mayor Bill de Blasio's “Vision Zero” initiative that focuses on pedestrian safety. Before the new law there were only 140 cameras in school zones. There will now be 750 by the end of the year. The hours that they're turned on also extended to 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. every weekday throughout the whole year. Officials say schools are also community hubs that operate outside of class time and that pedestrians in the area should be protected as much as possible. Also on hand for the announcement is Jane Martin Lavaud whose 24-year-old daughter died back 2013 after being hit by a car in Gravesend. This is the first school year the new cameras and longer hours will be in place around schools since the law's passing in May.  If the camera catches a driver going 10 miles over the speed limit, they'll get a ticket in the mail for $50.