On Monday, Dec. 15, the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to repeal the School Zone Speed Camera Program. A flawed program from the beginning, the speed zone cameras were voted for by representatives from both parties from the state and the county. Essentially presented as a school safety issue, residents were supposed to be warned of proper signage and flashing beacon lights, as well as prior warnings that the program was being initiated.
“We were assured by the administration that all of these measures would be put in place, but, unfortunately, this was not the case,” said Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs. “First of all, the initial roll out of the program was done during the summer when most people had no idea that certain schools had summer programs. Add to the above the fact that most municipalities give out ‘warning’ tickets, first, to make people aware that the implementation with fines will follow.”
The cameras, which were introduced this past August, issued an automatic $80 traffic ticket (plus additional fees) to any vehicle exceeding the posted limit within a 10 mph buffer, during school hours. According to officials, more than 400,000 tickets were issued since September, garnering $32 million in revenue for the county. Of the tickets issued, 60 percent were for speeds 1 to 5 mph over the violation threshold, while 27 percent were issued from 7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., when students were most likely to be walking to or from school—both points leading residents to believe the cameras were strictly for the cash.
However, Hon. John Marks, executive director of the Nassau County Traffic & Parking Violations Agency, said the program’s intention was always safety first.
“I think personally that it was a good program,” he said. “Speeding in school zones is at epidemic proportions. This program, like it or not, helped people slow down. I hope now that [the program] is no more, people don’t start to think the mechanical police officer isn’t watching so they can go back to old habits. There was a need for these cameras. It would be great if people complied with the law and there was no need for speed cameras. But that’s not the case.”
Marks, who served six years as a Nassau County District Court judge and seven years as a Nassau County Family Court judge, said that with the cameras, the county was merely enforcing laws that were already in place.
“The cameras were there to enhance the safety of children and other pedestrians,” he said.
But according to Robert Sinclair Jr., manager of media relations for AAA New York, the vote to remove the cameras is a “tacit admission that the program was a money-grab from the start.”
“Few things are more important than school zone safety, and those who drive recklessly deserve a penalty, but Nassau penalized safe drivers to fill budget gaps,” he said. “When there is no apparent connection between enforcement and traffic safety, the public loses trust in its government.”
“It is unfortunate that a program designed to assist with safety and supported in a bi-partisan way was so poorly implemented that it had to be repealed,” said Assemblyman Charles D. Lavine. “The county administration, in its haste to put the program in place, forgot the most important piece which is to ensure the public is part of the process. The positive side is that democracy does work. People were upset and spoke their minds and they were not only listened to they were heard.”
Jacobs realizes that residents were unfairly surrounded by cameras. However, of the 400,000 tickets given countywide, approximately 90,000, or about 25 percent, were in the 16th Legislative District, Jacobs’ own.
“My final thought on the program is that it was seriously flawed, however, speeding is a serious problem and the statistics proved that,” said Jacobs. “In my estimation, we must all be aware of the need to respect a school zone and to alter our driving as responsible residents. Please drive carefully.”
