Last June, Nassau County passed legislation that allows for the deployment of a speed enforcement camera system in school zones for each of the 56 public school districts in the county.
The new systems will be implemented throughout the county on July 25, and will be operational on scheduled school days throughout the year.
In the Island Trees Union-Free School District, the Memorial Middle School was picked as the location for the new camera system to try and encourage safety while reducing the speed of traffic around the school.
“For quite some time, the community has expressed concern with the traffic and the traffic pattern in front of the middle school,” said Island Trees Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Murphy. “I imagine this new law will slow things down in front of this building, in turn, improving student safety for our secondary students.”
According to Traffic Safety Coordinator Christopher M. Mistron, prior to the enactment of this law, Nassau County conducted a traffic study in front of several schools, finding an average 200 motorists traveling 25 mph or more above the posted limit.
“We sincerely believe that these cameras will improve the safety for students in and around their school,” Mistron said. “It is our hope that the installation of speed cameras will slwo down traffic and improve the safety environment around our schools sufficiently to allow children to walk to school.”
