Speed cameras approved in a total of 265 locations across NYC and LI

[Zee]

56 in Nassau and 69 in Suffolk. New York City goes from the current 20 to 140.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation Wednesday allowing Nassau and Suffolk counties to place speed cameras in school zones.

At a bill signing ceremony at Bethpage High School, where he was joined by officials including Republican Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Cuomo said the cameras "will save lives . . . It's the right use of technology, and the right time."

In April, the State Legislature approved Nassau and Suffolk's requests to add the cameras outside schools -- as a safety measure and as a way to generate new revenues.

Each violation of 10 mph over the posted speed limit will carry a $50 fine, and a $25 penalty for failure to pay.

Both counties will be able to install one camera per school district -- 56 in Nassau and 69 in Suffolk, Cuomo said.

The new law also expands the number of speed cameras in New York City from the current 20 to 140.

Villages will receive a share of the net revenue for violations that occur on village-owned roads.

Mangano, who welcomed Cuomo to his alma mater Wednesday, said the cameras "will certainly help strengthen traffic safety."

Bellone said the cameras would help Suffolk, "provide a safe place for our children."

State Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) acknowledged arguments that the cameras are intrusive, but said they only would impact lawbreakers.

"Those numbers, they're not suggestions -- they're rules," Marcellino said of school zone speed limits.

Update:

Suffolk County cancels plan to implement speed cameras.

Nassau County forecasted to vote on monday to repeal existing speed cameras.

NYC to stay strong and ticket the living shit out of its residents.

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The Nassau County Legislature appears poised to repeal its controversial school zone speed camera program.

Nassau County Republicans have joined Democrats in calls to repeal the law.

The Legislature was scheduled to vote on the repeal Monday, and it is expected to be unanimous, 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reported.

“Just as we supported it unanimously, we will repeal it unanimously,” Norma Gonsalves, Presiding Officer, Nassau Legislature said.

As CBS2’s Carolyn Gusoff reported, Nassau County Republicans sounded the death knell for school speed cameras, and introduced legislation to pull the plug after a deafening chorus of opposition.

“Coming out of church, on lines at delis, coming out of the grocery store, people were talking about it,” Nassau Legislator, Dennis Dunne said.

Lawmakers admitted that public outrage over the program fueled the action and blame its failure on poor implementation, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported.

Many residents — some who have complained about receiving multiple $80 tickets — have complained that there aren’t enough signs warning drivers of speed camera locations.

“Everywhere you went … be it a Veterans Day celebration or something else, law-abiding people really felt an unfairness about the way the program was done,” Legislator Don MacKenzie said.

Opposition organized on social media, and thousands labeled it a ‘gotcha program’ designed to rake in revenue.

“We have an obligation to do what’s right,” said Gonsalves.

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano’s office released a statement Tuesday saying: “Speeding in school zones put students’ lives in jeopardy. The school safety program has reduced speeding by 70%. The administration will monitor the Legislature’s debate, vote and budget amendments. Regardless, we urge motorists to exercise caution in school zones and will provide further comment after the Legislature’s action.”

Officials plan to replace the cameras with increased police patrols, and the county will move forward with installing flashing lights in school zones.

Gonsalves said lawmakers will work to fill the $30 million budget hole left by the repeal without raising taxes.

Ned Newhouse, who helped start a Facebook group opposing the cameras, told Rivera that repealing the law would be a good first step.

“I think that we need to push for immediate dismissal of all tickets and a refund,” he said.

The county issued $80 speeding tickets during summer school which Mangano later declared amnesty for, but cameras kept clicking away even in zones with no children crossing and no warning lights.

Several legislators, however, said that a dismissal and a refund are unlikely to happen.

Last week, county officials announced the hours of enforcement for the cameras were being drastically cut back — instead of operating from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on school days, they are now being used from 7 to 9 a.m. and again from 2 to 4 p.m.

The repeal won’t take effect until the county executive has signed it into law, so tickets may still be written after Monday’s vote.

 

[Aharami]

that seems reasonable...10mph over the speed limit in a school zone. Question is...what happens when the camera erroneously finds you guilty.

 

[IronWing]

$50 fine plus how much in court fees? Speed cameras have never been about safety, always about revenue.

 

[brandonb]

I was busted by one of these in Denver.

This was the stipulation. : Pay the $50 and it won't go on your driving record. Or fight it in court. If you do so, and lose, it will count as 4 points on your driving record... If you win your court case, it counts as 2 points on your driving record.

(16 pts accumulated means your DL is suspended, you start at 0. Only after 1 year of no new pts on your driving record do the points come off).

So in other words. Its all revenue building. Only revenue building. You are discouraged to fight against them, even if you are innocent. I guess that's how the government will treat people when something is a privilege vs. a right.

 

[bradley]

I was busted by one of these in Denver.

This was the stipulation. : Pay the $50 and it won't go on your driving record. Or fight it in court. If you do so, and lose, it will count as 4 points on your driving record... If you win your court case, it counts as 2 points on your driving record.

(16 pts accumulated means your DL is suspended, you start at 0. Only after 1 year of no new pts on your driving record do the points come off).

So in other words. Its all revenue building. Only revenue building. You are discouraged to fight against them, even if you are innocent. I guess that's how the government will treat people when something is a privilege vs. a right.

That scenario almost sounds like legalized extortion. For the record, I have no problems with these cameras being in public places. Just let's not pretend their purpose is anything other than revenue driven. Although, I'd be curious as to how many of these speed camera fines/convictions turn out to be erroneous.

 

[smackababy]

Their purpose are to discourage breaking the law (speeding) in the easiest way: monetary penalties.

I am suspicious of the Denver "points for being found not guilty" thing. I'd like to see real documentation on that before I believe it.

 

[Pantoot]

$50 fine plus how much in court fees? Speed cameras have never been about safety, always about revenue.

Exactly. There is no way that the ticket that people will receive in the mail will be for only $50. Redflex needs their cut. (or whoever got the contract)

 

[Ns1]

not seeing a problem here. slowdown you goddamn scofflaws.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Exactly. There is no way that the ticket that people will receive in the mail will be for only $50. Redflex needs their cut. (or whoever got the contract)

It's going to wind up looking like a cable TV bill with all the assorted tack-ons.

Fine: $50
Administration Fee: $15
Paperwork Fee: $15
Mailing Fee: $10
Camera Wear and Tear Fee: $25

Final bill: $115 for a $50 fine.

 

[pauldun170]

This is another way of implementing a "pilot program".
This isn't about protecting kids. This has just about zero to do with protecting kids.
This is all about revenue generation.
This is about getting people used to the idea of speed cameras. Once they are generally accepted they will spread to take advantage of revenue generation capability.
My guess the end result will go to political legacy building with minimal benefit to the tax payer.

 

[MontyAC]

CA cities got rid of their red light cameras. Guess NY is behind the times here.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Solution: don't speed.

Here is a towel to clean up your blown mind.

 

[smackababy]

This is another way of implementing a "pilot program".
This isn't about protecting kids. This has just about zero to do with protecting kids.
This is all about revenue generation.
This is about getting people used to the idea of speed cameras. Once they are generally accepted they will spread to take advantage of revenue generation capability.
My guess the end result will go to political legacy building with minimal benefit to the tax payer.

This has nothing to do with revenue generation. Do you really think this is some kind of gold mine NY is trying to capture?

This is the easiest and most cost efficient way to combat speeding (you know, illegally exceeding the posted limit on a road). The alternatives are either letting people continue to speed all willy nilly like morons (you're not smarter than whoever came up with the designated safest speed for a road) or more police pulling over people.


If you idiots would just stop breaking the law, you'd learn this isn't a problem. Even if this does generate revenue, who gives a shit some criminal is having to pay for their crimes. You know how much money speed cameras would get from me? You guessed it! $0.

 

[pauldun170]

This has nothing to do with revenue generation. Do you really think this is some kind of gold mine NY is trying to capture?

This is the easiest and most cost efficient way to combat speeding (you know, illegally exceeding the posted limit on a road). The alternatives are either letting people continue to speed all willy nilly like morons (you're not smarter than whoever came up with the designated safest speed for a road) or more police pulling over people.


If you idiots would just stop breaking the law, you'd learn this isn't a problem. Even if this does generate revenue, who gives a shit some criminal is having to pay for their crimes. You know how much money speed cameras would get from me? You guessed it! $0.

No, its about revenue generation.

 

[Bateluer]

Phoenix yanked its high way speed cameras a few years ago; they ended up causing serious safety issues as drivers collectively slammed on their brakes. It would cause traffic on I-10 to suddenly drop to 50mph as the lead drivers hit their brakes, causing everyone else behind them to slam on theirs to avoid collisions. 1000x worse during snow bird seasons. Nobody was sad to see those damn things go.

This has nothing to do with revenue generation. Do you really think this is some kind of gold mine NY is trying to capture?

This is the easiest and most cost efficient way to combat speeding (you know, illegally exceeding the posted limit on a road). The alternatives are either letting people continue to speed all willy nilly like morons (you're not smarter than whoever came up with the designated safest speed for a road) or more police pulling over people.

Uh, no. They did nothing to reduce speeding in Phoenix, just increased accidents and collisions.

If you idiots would just stop breaking the law, you'd learn this isn't a problem. Even if this does generate revenue, who gives a shit some criminal is having to pay for their crimes. You know how much money speed cameras would get from me? You guessed it! $0.

And various cities and states got caught red handed setting the camera's threshold below the posted speed limit to generate revenue. So you'd probably get a ticket for driving through a 45mph zone at 45 because the camera was set at 40mph.

 

[pauldun170]

http://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/cuomo-stalls-speed-camera-plan-1.7563370
ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo refused to grant state legislators permission Monday night to rush through a bill to install 125 school-zone speed cameras on Long Island -- potentially creating a big hole in Nassau County's finances.
State Senate co-leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) had struck a deal for the legislature to pass a school-zone speed camera bill late Monday. But they needed the governor to waive a required three-day waiting period between introducing and voting on a bill. To their surprise, Cuomo declined, officials said.
Nassau County is counting on revenue generated by speeding infractions to help seal labor contracts. The Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which oversees county finances, has postponed a vote on the contract until next week. NIFA was waiting to see if the state would approve the cameras. Nassau has estimated it could receive $8 million or more in annual revenue from the cameras, which could be used to help lift a three-year union-employee wage freeze.

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Klein aides declined to comment. A Silver spokesman said the Assembly would continue to advance the bill, though it might be at a slower pace. A Cuomo aide said only that he wasn't aware that the administration would waive the waiting period.
Many legislators said they would rather act sooner than later. "We need to move this bill," said State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola). "It means too much to the hardworking county employees to be playing around with semantics."
The proposal had seemed likely to be included in the state budget, which was passed Monday night, but the camera plan was dropped after lawmakers couldn't agree on how to divvy up the money from traffic tickets.
Silver Monday proposed villages get a cut of the revenue if a camera is installed on a village-maintained road. Lawmakers previously said Assemb. Earlene Hooper (D-Hempstead) had advocated for the villages. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone had projected that 20 cameras would generate $2 million in annual revenue.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-speed-cameras-clear-state-senate-1.7878334

Timing was key for Nassau County. On Friday, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state board that controls county finances, is scheduled to consider labor agreements that would end a wage freeze for most county union employees. Nassau is depending on speed camera revenue to help pay for the contracts. Nassau, union and Cuomo administration officials met Tuesday, a day before the Senate vote, a source said.
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has said the county could realize $25 million or more annually from speed-camera revenue. His office didn't immediately return calls for comment Wednesday.
NIFA chairman Jon Kaiman, who was appointed by Cuomo, said after the Senate vote that "the county is coming forward with revenue and savings that give me greater confidence that they can cover the costs."
NIFA is scheduled to meet Friday to consider approving Memorandums of Agreements with four of the five county unions -- the Civil Service Employees Association, the Police Benevolent Association, the Detectives Association, and the Superior Officers Association. A deal with the county's correction officers has yet to be finalized.
The agreements would end the wage freeze NIFA imposed in March 2011 and give union workers raises retroactive to April 1.
The school-zone speed camera bill authorizes 69 cameras in Suffolk County and 56 in Nassau, one per public school district. It also would expand the number of speed cameras in New York City from the current 20 to 140. Net proceeds from tickets generated on village streets would go to villages

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/artic...ly-approves-speed-cameras-long-island-and-nyc

“We do not have a speeding problem in front of our schools, but the City of New York, Nassau and Suffolk counties have a revenue problem. Children have become a very convenient shield which we like to hide behind to raise revenue.”

 

[HumblePie]

Glad they are banned here!

 

[chimaxi83]

Cool story. We have them all over Chicago already. Thanks, Obama!

 

[Brainonska511]

No, its about revenue generation.

Hardly. People speeding and not paying attention while driving is a big problem for the pedestrians of this city. Hardly a day goes by where I don't see someone blow through a red light and way above the posted speed limit.

 

[OutHouse]

I was busted by one of these in Denver.

This was the stipulation. : Pay the $50 and it won't go on your driving record. Or fight it in court. If you do so, and lose, it will count as 4 points on your driving record... If you win your court case, it counts as 2 points on your driving record.

(16 pts accumulated means your DL is suspended, you start at 0. Only after 1 year of no new pts on your driving record do the points come off).

So in other words. Its all revenue building. Only revenue building. You are discouraged to fight against them, even if you are innocent. I guess that's how the government will treat people when something is a privilege vs. a right.

Where in denver?

 

[lupi]

Red light cameras could be considered a safety measure.

Speed cameras are totally a revenue scheme.

 

[pauldun170]

Hardly. People speeding and not paying attention while driving is a big problem for the pedestrians of this city. Hardly a day goes by where I don't see someone blow through a red light and way above the posted speed limit.

Speeding, blowing red light and not paying attention are 3 separate issues.

This does not change that speed cameras are a revenue generation tool and not a tool to increase safety.

 

[MtnMan]

It appears that the last true freedom loving American failed to take the flag down when they left NYC, or merely buckled under to the Gestapo, more commonly known as the NTPD.

 

[Phoenix86]

No, its about revenue generation.

Don't forget data collection. Who goes where and when.

 

[pauldun170]

Red light cameras could be considered a safety measure.

Speed cameras are totally a revenue scheme.

Red light cameras are considered safety measures but in many cases have proven to increase accidents or have no minimal effect.


I believe that studies have shown that increasing the duration of yellow lights and delaying when other lights switch to green to be an actual safety measure (in other words, when one light goes from yellow to red, the other doe no immediately change to green. There is a 4 second delay and all traffic is stopped.)