‘Aggressive’ gov’s speed cam move

Gov. Cuomo signed an executive order Monday that will pave the way for the return of speed cameras near city schools — just in time for the first day of class.

“It is an aggressive legal action,” Cuomo said. “But I believe we are also in extraordinary circumstances and I’m not going to be a governor who sits by, and because the state Senate is playing politics and refusing to come back we jeopardize human life, especially the lives of children.”

The executive order will allow the City Council to pass its own law Wednesday enacting the program in New York City, according to Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who joined the governor at a Monday news conference.

Mayor de Blasio will issue an order of necessity allowing the bill to be voted on more quickly so it can go into effect next Tuesday, the day before the first day of school.

“We have spent the last four days talking a lot with the governor and his team and the mayor about how to craft a way to get the cameras turned back on before the start of school,” Johnson (D-Manhattan) said. “This is not a substitute, this is not a replacement for the Republican state Senate coming back and actually not just renewing the law, but strengthening the law.”

The emergency executive order lasts for 30 days, and it can be renewed when that time is up. But despite the Senate not returning to sign legislation before school begins, Cuomo said he was hopeful it would do so before the end of the year, saying the lawmakers were likely to return to deal with other bills that need to be renewed by year’s end.

The move comes after the Senate failed to pass an extension of the speed camera program in July. It also comes after dedicated efforts from advocates, who demonstrated across the city in an effort to get the cameras turned back on.

Cuomo said he was able to sign the executive order now — as opposed to earlier in the summer — because the start of the school year presents an “emergency” that wasn’t present when the law lapsed in July.