nassau county NY (Long Island) announces its 50 new red light cameras today

Many changes have been made...

OK, a few posts back you stated that they were coming to Long Beach and already in the database.

On an aside:
Honestly the biggest problem in Long Beach are not drivers streaming past red lights but the drivers who seem oblivious to Stop signs, won't come to full stops and simply drive through the intersections EVEN when you are already walking with your kids in the intersection. Nothing like rushing to get your family out of the way from the approaching vehicle.

I know that this happens everywhere, but after living in Brooklyn for over three decades and coming to Long Beach, I've never seen it that bad anywhere else I've been.

I am a Sgt. with the Long Beach Auxiliary Police and when I train probationary officers I explain to them that even though we drive fully stocked and labeled police vehicles (Durangos and F-150 extended cabs) that at least once a night I will have to come to a short stop- even when I had the right of way and was already in the intersection because an approaching motorist will blow their stop sign. Unfortunately I'm seldom wrong.

I just heard on the news that 14 Nassau County RLC cameras were spray painted sometime during the night.
They're still looking for the one(s) who did it (maybe he'll show up on the red-light cameras, oh, but they're broke). They said that it would take 2 days to have them up & running.

So how do you fight that when you are ticketed for something that you are allowed to do? I am sure that the judge hearing the case will dismis the case if it is proven, but HOW DOES ONE PRO THIS?

Almost all the cameras use video and what is mailed is a 'frame grab' from the video. Most turn problems are you didn't stop BEFORE you crossed the line, but rolled right over it, hesitated, then completed the turn.

Sadly, just hours after I wrote this, my wife, two children and I were crossing the major intersection of Park Avenue (3 lanes each side divided by a parking mall) when three quarters through and with 10 seconds left for the countdown to "Do Not Walk" a woman makes a left turn into our direction, honks madly at us and cursed at us- foul language with her kiddies in her minivan and mine on the street- calling us and the gentleman walking just in front of us stupid-asses and worse for crossing the street when SHE had a green light.

I yelled back that it was our green light as well, but she accelerated away too self-righteously to consider that we were already in the intersection before she was even able to position to make that turn and that she needed to yield to pedestrians.

Ugg...another life lesson we got to explain to our kids on the walk home and another explanation as to why although I carry a shield why I could not and did not stop that dangerous and nasty woman.

Rob

Yes kb2psm, this is all too common! Pedestrians are at the mercy of agressive drivers. My wife does not drive since she is legally blind and uses the white cane to cross streets. (with the light)

I did not fully understand her complaints, until I was sidelined with shoulder surgery and could not drive for six weeks. I had to walk to the supermarket, the bank, the deli, and so on. It was shocking! While walking less than a half mile there were ten close calls at driveways, intersections, cars veering out of lane onto the shoulder. I was in fear of my life!

We need more than a red light or speed camera, we need a method of retribution to fight back against these agressive drivers.

dobs108

Bicyclists too! I will be cycling down the road and have cars pull out in front of me, turn right in front of me. I have had the green light as well and drivers blow off the red perhaps thinking it is okay because there are no other cars in the intersection. I drive my car defensively but I ride my bike in survival mode.

Instead of these dammed cameras have a police officer periodically rotate locations and write summonses that have a very high $ penalty after seeing the judge. Between very high $ fines and the increased insurance costs there would be a drastic drop in all of these kinds of recklessness.

There is a new red light camera in Hicksville at North Broadway and Nevada Street. North Broadway is state route 106 and 107. This is just north of Sears, a quarter mile south of the LIE, I-495. It has been reported to Miss Poi.

dobs108

It is annoying that Nassau County has pulled the list from the web site. I thought it was for "safety" and people should know where they were. Looks more and more like a money grab when they start making it secret.

I posted that original list at the end of this post's second page. Like I stated since then, many of the locations have changed due to "profit sharing" with outside municipalities... By the way, that location wasn't on it.

Are the RLC's in Nassau County included in the Red Light Camera Downloadable POI file? I ask this because the RLC's in NYC area are identified, but I am not reading the ones in Nassau County, NY.
Hopefully someone can help me out.

The red light cameras in Nassau County and the New York City area are all in the same file, however they are not identified by the name "Nassau County" but by the town or village name.

dobs108 - Syosset NY - Nassau County

Ok, Thanks Dobs. By the way, how do I add the RLC icon to the file so that it shows up when I am approaching it so that it is just not a dot?

Z

I don't use the icon file - just the sound. I like to keep my eyes on the road without looking at the GPSr.

I recommend using Poi Loader to load the RLC file into the nuvi, setting the alert distance much shorter than the default 1320 feet (quarter mile) when running Poi Loader in auto. Run it in manual and you can specify the alert distance you want for each POI file. For instance, 1320 feet for Walmarts and anywhere from 500 to 800 feet for RLCs, depending on the speed limits where you drive most. The shorter alert distance does away with confusion over exactly which intersection the alert is for.

We have many forum participants who would be glad to point you in the right direction on loading icons.

dobs108 - nuvi 760

Place the BMP file of the RLC icon in the same directory as the RLC file you are uploading. Be sure it is named exactly the same (except for the file extension). When you run POI Loader, it will upload the BMP file, and your GPS should display it if it has the same name. You can also add a custom alert sound the same way.

For example...
Redlight-Cameras.csv
Redlight-Cameras.bmp
Redlight-Cameras.mp3

Depending on your GPS, you may need to load another file to play mp3 files properly. The info is out here on the forum, but I forget exactly what the file is - something like sox.exe maybe? I think you need that for the 2xx series of nuvis - I know my 760 didn't require it.

This same format will work for any other POI icons you want to use - simply save (or copy) the BMP and mp3 into the appropriate directory and match the names.

The sox.exe program will generate a .wav format file. MP3s don't play on many units.

I knew there was a deal with mp3 files, but since my 760 plays them, all I remembered was that some units needed that sox.exe file to work, but not the specifics of it.

I'll avoid Nassau. I'll drive from Stony Brook to the ferry at Orient Point, take it to Connecticut then get to Queens via the Bronx-Whitestone.

They could be speed cameras...

Suffolk is starting to install them too...

Since the activation of the cameras in Merrick and Bellmore, nearly every one of my neighbors has been caught by one. While pumping gas near the camera on Merrick road in Bellmore, I saw the flash go off 6 times. Anyone making a right on red. But it's not about revenue.

Glad to hear from you!

dobs108 Syosset NY

I can see many people getting camera tickets for right on red. I live in Nassau County and would estimate one in one hundred cars stop before turning right on a red light.

There is a stop sign on my corner and people slow up from 30 MPH to 28 MPH and think they are stopping.

All too true!

Slight Tap On Pedal....

I thought we were discussing heavy metal, sorry

This morning I tested the camera at ... Going westbound, the light changed to yellow just before I got there and still yellow as I entered the intersection. We'll see if this is on the level or not!

The red light camera file worked perfectly to warn me in advance but it didn't say the light was going to change!

dobs108

New signs were put up near a red light camera about 100 yards before the intersection. There is a large yellow diamond-shaped sign with the traffic signal symbol on it. Below it on the pole is a small rectangular sign that says, "Photo Enforced."

dobs108 - Nassau County NY

If there's a red light camera at a right on red intersection, is the camera technology able to differentiate between a failure to stop completely, and a driver who comes to a complete stop and then makes the right on red??

Or are there always signs prohibiting right on red at camera'd intersections?

Yes, the local paper had an article on this very issue. People were ticketed for not coming to a complete stop, as required by "Right Turn on Red" rules, at the RLC intersection before making the turn on red. It was pointed out in great detail that you are required to stop, not just blow through at a low speed. The equipment apparently has the sensors necessary to determine this and they have video to back it up. Personally I would rather wait out the light than take my chances make the right turn.

What would be interesting to see is if they improved the technology to enforce the other part of the Right Turn on Red law; that there should not be any traffic approaching you from the left before making the turn. Too many times I have been cut off by idiots making the right turn on red into my lane as I approach an intersection. That is also a violation of the law.

All Nassau County red light cameras are full motion video cameras. The intersections all have heavy traffic. Some have right (and left) turn arrows, some are "no right on red," and some ordinary intersections where right-on-red is permitted. All the right and left turns are monitored.

dobs108

Thats a lot of cameras. Someone has to be working on a gadget that will catch cellphone use.

IMHO using a HHCP while driving is almost as dangerous as DWI or texting while driving. I would like to see license suspensions for using a HHCP or texting while driving.

I'll second that!!

The problem of texting while driving can easily be stopped with government mandating to cellular phone manufacturers to stop the texting feature while the phone is in motion, every cell phone is already equipped with GPS in order for enhance 911 to work and will be easy to detect when the phone is moving and the phone programmed to deactivate the keyboard.

I rather go the with government mandate route instead of dealing with another law for the police and drivers regarding texting.

I'm truly concerned for cyclists and pedestrians more now than ever. In the "old days" the main distraction was reaching for the radio knob. Nowadays, it is SO common to see cars that look like they're being driven by a DWI at all hours -- out of the lane of traffic on a tangent and then a sudden correction back (often an over-correction).

cyclists and pedestrians could occupy a thread of their own. I have seen pedestrians almost become hood ornaments because they ignored pedestrian control signals.

Certainly there are cyclists and pedestrians who are adding to the problem (on cell phone, listening to earphones, etc.), but I mean all else being equal, it is more dangerous now than ever to be a cyclist or pedestrian when there are cars on the same road.

It's called death by Ipod in the emergency management circles. People plug their MP3 players in their ears, turn up the volume and then get so carried away by the noise they don't watch where they are going and walk straight into traffic.

So if I'm a passenger in a car, I can't send a text message unless the car is stopped?

That would mean no phone calls or texts at all by anyone in the car. What about hands free systems in cars?

[quote=bsp131

That would mean no phone calls or texts at all by anyone in the car. What about hands free systems in cars?

North Broadway and Nevada street in Hicksville

-73.52922, 40.77627, "RLC Hicksville"

This is on the intersection just north of the Broadway Mall (Ikea, etc). It was up and working as of Saturday morning, 3:45 AM.

That one is in the file;)

Miss POI

Sorry

It was added to last week's update:)