Press Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2024
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
NYC DOT Issues Request for Proposals for Automated Enforcement
RFP Covers Nation’s Largest Network of Camera and Sensor Enforcement for Violations Against Red-Light Running, Excessive Speed, Driving in or Obstructing Bus Lanes, and Overweight Trucks
Deadline to Respond to RFP is August 23, 2024
NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced today that the agency had issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for all its automated enforcement programs. Published online this week in the City Record, the RFP outlines in detail the requirements and expectations for a five-year contract in which the vendor will oversee the continued design, development, implementation, installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of New York City’s automated enforcement programs.
These programs, designed and closely monitored by NYC DOT staff, govern the nation’s largest network of automated enforcement. That network currently includes thousands of cameras and sensors that help to enforce New York state laws against drivers who run red lights, exceed speed limits, and drive in or obstruct bus lanes. In 2023, New York City also became the first in the nation to use automated enforcement sensors against overweight trucks.
“Our automated enforcement programs are the envy of cities around the country, as they have been key to our Vision Zero efforts to save lives on our streets,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Through this RFP, we are looking for a company to work with us to keep these programs going strong. We encourage all qualified companies to apply.”
The deadline to respond to the RFP is August 23, 2024. The five-year contract is expected to start by January 2025 – with all new equipment expected to be in place by August 2025.
The RFP notes that NYC DOT is seeking an applicant with a deep understanding of automated traffic enforcement and has the expertise, experience, and financial strength necessary to continue to improve New York City’s programs. A critical element of the RFP is to identify a company that will champion the city’s Vision Zero program and make substantive investments in making New York’s streets the safest in the world. As part of the RFP, the city specifically seeks to leverage recent innovations in camera-based technology to tackle more recent on-the-ground challenges, including the growth in obscured license plates.
In 1994, New York City became the first in the country to use automated enforcement when, with state legislative authorization, it began using cameras to enforce against red-light running. Automated enforcement has grown as an efficient and effective tool for traffic safety – and the programs have expanded to other areas in the ensuing years. Every single violation captured by enforcement cameras and sensors is reviewed by NYC DOT staff, which has sole discretion to determine whether collected photos and videos provide evidence of a violation -- and then issue and mail a violation to a vehicle owner. Under the RFP, the NYC Department of Finance (DOF) will also continue to collect fine payments as well as schedule and conduct hearings to adjudicate violations.
In addition to delivering record numbers of new pedestrian space and protected bike lanes, the Adams administration has worked to dramatically expand both New York City’s speed and red-light camera programs, governed by state law. In 2022, the legislature and Governor Hochul approved an expansion of the speed camera program to 24/7 operation, after which the city saw an additional 30 percent decline in speed camera violations over the first year expanded hours were in effect. During the most recent state legislative session, the agency successfully advocated for the renewal and expansion of the City’s red-light camera program; after its expected enactment later this year, the program would quadruple in size – from 150 to 600 intersections.