Suffolk Closeup: Photo-enforced speed zone for Island?

If Suffolk County has its way, school zone speed limits would be monitored by cameras.

That’s just one wrinkle in an ongoing debate, with Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk), who represents Shelter Island, as one of the players.

Financially hard-pressed in recent years, Suffolk County is projecting taking in $4 million in its budget for 2015 from tickets generated by school speed zone cameras, Mr. Schneiderman said. The plan is to have the cameras installed in all 69 school districts in the county. Shelter Island has the distinction of being a town without a red light but, if the county plan goes forward, it’ll have a photographically-monitored school speed zone.

No one supports drivers speeding through school zones. But if cameras are installed to catch speeders, shouldn’t there be clear disclosure of them, and wouldn’t that help drivers obey the speed limit in school zones?

Mr. Schneiderman has introduced a measure titled “Establishing Requirements for a School Speed Zone Camera Program.”

It declares that “the County of Suffolk must demonstrate that the fundamental goal of the school speed zone program is not to generate revenue but rather to reduce speeding in school zones and thereby protect the safety of students and the public at large.” It continues, “Suffolk’s program should give motorists fair warning when speed cameras are installed at schools.” It would require the “installation of clearly visible signage at each camera location warning drivers that the speed limit in the school zone is photo-enforced.”

Considering the speed limit in school zones in Suffolk is usually 20 miles per hour, this would seem to be completely sensible. Doing all that can be done to make sure vehicles brake and slow to 20 miles per hour from cruising speeds outside the school zones of 35 to 45 miles per hour and more, would seem a no-brainer.

Nevertheless, at a recent meeting of the Public Safety Committee of the Suffolk Legislature, the Schneiderman bill was tabled after objections by an official from the administration of County Executive Steve Bellone and some lawmakers.

What’s their problem?

Is the main aim of the school speed zone program to raise money from the tickets it generates? That’s been the criticism on Long Island and across the nation, especially of programs involving the installation of cameras at traffic lights — so-called “red light cameras.”

Tom Vaughn, director of intergovernmental affairs for the Bellone administration, said at the committee meeting November 20 that the Schneiderman measure was “premature” and that the county wants to “approach this in a much more comprehensive manner.”

In fact, the Schneiderman bill is quite comprehensive. It details the kind of warning signs that should be installed, mandating that they have “alternating flashing lights.” It provides for the county to “undertake a public awareness program to educate residents about the program and its benefits.” It offers a history of red light cameras in Suffolk, a program that began in 2009.

It notes that the New York State Legislature earlier this year passed legislation authorizing Nassau County and Suffolk County to establish demonstration programs to utilize cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones.

But Nassau’s school speed zone demonstration program has encountered problems that have led to public opposition, the legislation states. Thus “Suffolk should take note of Nassau County’s experience as it seeks to implement its own school speed zone program.”

Mr. Schneiderman got a whiff that raising money might be the main goal in the school speed zone program when he participated in questioning vendors seeking to get the contract in Suffolk for the cameras. “When I asked questions about signage, they were not responsive,” he said. He got the impression that the would-be contractors, who would get a cut of the revenue raised from tickets, didn’t “want less money to come in” because of drivers being informed of the operation of the cameras and slowing down.

“This is a good bill,” said Mr. Schneiderman of his measure. It would demonstrate that Suffolk County is “not going into this trying to trick anybody.”

Red light and similar traffic cameras have become a hot issue all over the U.S. In a number of states, laws banning them have been enacted or are being considered. In neighboring Nassau, a coalition of civic associations has called for an immediate moratorium on the issuance of school speed zone camera tickets, charging the cameras “were installed to raise revenue to fix the county’s budgetary problems without concern for the safety of our children.”

The basis of Mr. Schneiderman’s measure is the public having a right to know about the operation of school speed zone cameras. Why should anyone be afraid of that?