NYC's Traffic Cameras Are Now Selfie Stations! A New Website Lets You Snap Pics With The City's Surveillance Systems

NYC's Traffic Cameras Are Now Selfie Stations!

Ever walk down a New York City street and wish you could snap a selfie to share with your friends? Now you can – with the help of NYC's traffic cameras!

TrafficCamPhotoBooth.com, a website created by Brooklyn resident Morry Kolman, allows users to access over 900 traffic cameras around the city and take selfies using the traffic enforcement equipment.

To use the website, simply select a camera from any of the different locations around the city. Then, snap a photo using the website in either photo strip or Polaroid format.

How Does It Work?

According to Kolman, the Department of Transportation (DOT) hosts live feeds of these traffic cameras – not live video, but live images that update every two seconds. These images are publicly accessible, which allows Kolman's website to function.

Inspiration Behind The Project

Kolman, an NYC-based artist, said the inspiration for the project came from a class he was taking where he was challenged to take a picture without being the one behind the camera. He realized that the city's traffic cameras were a perfect opportunity to achieve this.

A Viral Hit

The website has already been visited 30,000 – 40,000 times and over 10,000 photos have been taken. Kolman has no intention of making money from the project. The website is free to use and doesn’t serve advertisements or track users.

Expanding To Other Cities

Kolman said he would like to expand the project to other cities and is even willing to make the website open source so others can contribute to its development. He believes the DOT's traffic camera setup makes NYC the perfect city for this type of project.

What Does The DOT Think?

While the DOT has not yet responded to requests for comment, Kolman doesn't think they have any issues with his project. He believes the DOT is likely more focused on the cameras' intended purpose of traffic management.