Nassau And Suffolk County NY Red Light Cameras

They really need your money!
more than you do of course!
haha

Newsday Journalist, Editor, and Reporter Judy Cartwright has retired. She wrote the "Community Watchdog" column which was pretty mundane until speed cameras arrived. Her story on Google+ reads, "Life as a news junkie segues into Moby Dick quest," and that appropriately describes the growth of the speed camera story. Judy and I communicated on a regular basis.

She had to deal with residents making complaints and found that Nassau officials are a bunch of weasels (my words). In a recent column she describes finally receiving speed camera emails and documents from the county which had been requested months ago under the Freedom of Information Law.

The documents showed that discussions among public officials were exclusively on how to maximize profit. Safety was never mentioned.

One email reports the unbelievable revenue generated in the first week of operation - that the average red light camera had 6 violations per camera per day, while the average speed camera had 500 violations per camera per day.

The week they were talking about was the last week of July, when no drivers were aware that school speed limits are sometimes in effect in summer. The County had made no announcement that the cameras were in operation or which schools were in session. It was totally "under the radar."

Judy deserves a happy retirement, but we have lost a good friend.

dobs108

I was sorry to see the Newsday column disappear. I recall several years ago the "Ask Dr. Conehead" column disappeared too which was a bastion of traffic related news. I wonder if there are no other reporters willing to take over the columns or the paper is just looking to trim the columns and attrition is the way they are doing it.

Me, too. I looked forward to reading her page.

Getting back to the RLC topic, I have not seen any activity with regards to new RLC's. Unless they are installing them in obscure places, there has not been any activity that I am aware of in Nassau County since the speed camera debacle. There are quite a few intersections on the county's wish list that I pass through and none have had any RLC work done (not complaining!). I am curious if anyone has any inside information as to whether there is a general freeze in place or some other issue. It seems like only yesterday we were spotting them sprouting like weeds.

Prior to December, the emphasis in Nassau had been new speed cameras. When that imploded, cold weather had already begun.

Red light cameras must have sensor loops under the roadway to detect when a vehicle crosses the stop line. The sensors cannot be installed in winter because pavement repair with asphalt or epoxy is required. Now that the late winter is over, this is the time for red light cameras to sprout.

dobs108

I appreciate everyone keeping an eye out on these Nassau cameras. I'm heading back to Long Island for a couple of weeks, and just updated my POI files - we don't have RLCs in North Carolina, so I don't grab the update file as often as I used to.

Another plus for North Carolina. The firm I worked for the last 17 years may finally be going under before the end of the year. I really do not want to stay in New York State any longer as I am sick of the state government, taxes, fees and nanny laws. I have had North Carolina on my short list.

The funny thing is the RLC's here are known and have been around for quite a while yet they still make a small pile of money. Not as much as the county wants but still amazing the number of people that still go through red lights and get ticketed. I observed one at NY-109 and New Highway the other day where the light was red on New Highway at least one second and a car kept on going without stopping. The strobes went off. The yellow lights at that intersection are quite long and you have ample time to stop.

I don't appreciate non (or former) New Yorkers rubbing it in.

My sister just got a RLC ticket in the mail this week for a light on Hempstead Turnpike. I recall a few weeks ago when she called me from work telling me she thought she had gone through a red light. From her description at the time, it sounded as if it went red when she was in the intersection, which is okay. But she said after looking at the pictures she did indeed go through on red... $80 is the total payable by July 2nd.

Newsday reports (sorry no link since Newsday is a pay site) that the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency is being sued in Federal Court by four defendants who allege that their treatment by the agency was unconstitutional. Their attorney is seeking class action status.

The agency was set up by the county in 2012, after approval by the State Legislature, to handle noncriminal moving violations, parking tickets, and red light camera citations.

One defendant was sentenced by an agency hearing officer to 15 days in jail for driving without a license. On May 1, State Supreme Court Justice Mark D. Cohen found that the man was detained unconstitutionally and directed his release from the Suffolk County jail.

Huntington attorney Christopher Cassar, who filed the lawsuit, said the agency's rules are arbitrary.

"I think they're operating to generate revenue for the county and as a result, they're trampling over constitutional rights and principle," Cassar said.

My Comment:

We have always believed that Suffolk County red light camera hearings are a kangaroo court, but this extends our doubt about the fairness of the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency to matters which apparently are criminal in nature.

15 days in jail is no small matter. We are all at risk while driving in Suffolk!

dobs108

I keep a Suffolk lawyer's number in my iPhone contacts.

Interesting article and lawsuit. 15 days for traffic violations, when violent criminals sometimes don't get that much time?!

Hey folks, keep an eye on the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Herricks Blvd in Mineola. Just came through there - didn't see any cameras, and I didn't get an alert, but westbound Jericho and southbound Herricks have RLC signs posted, and there was a bucket truck doing some work on the west side of Herricks just south of the intersection. Could be a new RLC being installed, so it may be worth checking in the next couple of days.

Odd they would put up the warning signs first. Kind of a reverse of where they put the RLC's in and then waited a few weeks to install the signs. Maybe they got a good deal on signs! Also, since the signs are not required under the law, maybe there is no penalty for putting the signs up and not installing RLC's. That would be a quick way to get people to pay attention to red lights without actually having to install cameras. Most people wouldn't even notice the missing cameras.

I thought signs are required.

I plan to look at Jericho and Herricks to confirm whether there is a camera there, but I may have to make a special trip because I have no appointments in that area. It is a prime location for a red light camera - a real money-maker!

Moose, the latest red light cameras look different than the originals you are familiar with. They look just like speed cameras, which are all still there. The closest speed camera to Herricks Road is at Garden City High School just 1/4 mile southwest.

dobs108

There are some cameras there.

No, there is nothing in the MUTCD that requires them though it does define the standards for them if they are used. The latest revision define the new one piece R10-18a sign that Suffolk is now using at new RLC intersections in place of the combination W3-3 & W16-10P/W16-10aP signs. The intersection at New Highway and NY-109 have the older combination signs. The newer intersection at Straight Path and NY-109 (as well as Great East Neck Road by West Babylon High School) have the new one piece signs. Also, it is not codified in the state RLC law that signs be posted.

This came up a few years ago when Nassau County removed all the signs in preparation to replace them with new ones a few weeks later. At the time they noted there was no violation of the traffic law by removing them and that they were under no obligation to install them in the first place.

Saw a report on LongIslandGasPrices.com that a new one has sprouted at Willis Avenue and Jericho Turnpike in Mineola. I HAVE NOT been there so I cannot confirm it. I continue to watch the north shore area, especially those places listed on the county's original wish list and second wish list). None have appeared at those locations and I recall a year or so ago somebody had reported them here and they had to be removed.

I'll take a look.

Thanks Bob!

dobs108

It has been very quiet here. I have not noticed any new RLC's of late but I see many traffic lights being replaced with new models that have a rectangular backing with a yellow border to highlight them. They are appearing only at intersections managed by the state DOT. Nassau County still uses yellow traffic lights with incandescent bulbs as they cannot afford the upfront cost of LED's.

There has been discussion in the Suffolk legislature about possible suspension of the red light camera program after it was alleged that some locations had short yellow lights.

Sorry, no link because Newsday is a pay site.

dobs108

The camera in Glen Head is still in place but either it was vandalized or they removed some components. There are some cables with connectors on them hanging down connected to nothing. I noticed it while biking past it last week. They were not that way for a long after deactivation. If it was meant to show they were inactive, I am surprised they did not just cover them with burlap fabric like they do to new traffic lights that are not yet active. Easier to reverse and you do not have electronic components exposed to the elements.

Still, I do have a sneaking suspicion they will be coming back to life sometime after November 2015 when the legislature is safe for another two years.

why do these representatives choose to waste money on these cameras, we can spend this money better on other things .

service road of LIE going west corner of Community drive going North

Thanks for finding it!

dobs108

That one was included in last week's Red Light Camera update.
We show several others planned for that area, so please keep us updated if you see any others go live.

Thanks!

~Angela

According to Newsday (sorry no link because Newsday.com is a pay site) Suffolk County NY now has 207,000 unpaid traffic citations worth $22 million. They are offering an amnesty with reduced penalties. In the future they plan to boot and tow violators who have accumulated over $2000- in fines and penalties. Most of these are due to red light camera tickets.

Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning called the new plan "unfair to the poor who are being hammered and just trying to keep a roof over their heads. Rich people just pay, but for hardworking people, losing their car can mean losing their livelihood."

Xerox State and Local Solutions is Suffolk's red light camera contractor. Xerox handles debt collection services for unpaid violations. Over the past three years, Suffolk has paid Xerox $24,385,000 for debt collection alone.

The red light camera program was intended to be a moneymaker but it doesn't seem so now. The payments to Xerox for debt collection may exceed revenue from fines that are actually paid, in my opinion.

dobs108

I know this is not the correct forum and I have been try to get some info from the other forum but is not easy to find the answer to your question..

Ok I have install the sox program in the same directory as my poi loader.

I have 2 GPS the old c550 and a 1450- the C550 is mp3 compatible so I do not have no problem I create a folder I add and Icon-sound- and the redlight camera all with the same name. so is no problem there on the c550.

I did the same with the 1450..now on the 1450 I have some speed trap this file was giving to me by a friend but is not up to date.

I install the redlight camera and the speed camera and they work.I install the same files that I did install on the c550..and it does give me the alert..But the sound does not match. on the C550 i have the voice of a woman give me the alert,on the 1450 i have the voice of a man speaking. I also convert the mp3 to wav for the 1450.

The speed trap install on the 1450 have the voice of a man. speaking and I got the feeling that this file is overwriting the other warning sound that I am trying to make work

How do a make possible to get the same sound that I have on the c550, to work on the 1450..
again I have sox install in the same directory as the poi loader.

I know that installing the wav sound on the 1450 does not give me the sound and the warning that i selected.

what about if I try to Install the mp3 sound on the 1450, what the program sox will do?

One thing I almost forgot to mention when I drive for direction I have the voice of a woman give me the direction,the male voice only sound for speed trap/redlight camera and Speed camera.

And this is what want to change.

On the C550 the same female voice that give me the direction also give me warning for speed camera and redlight camera

Can't Xerox just make color money copies for the County? Or would that option cost the County more?

Finally had a chance to get back to this thread. I have not seen any new RLC's lately despite some intersections I go through getting new traffic light hardware that includes the new style lights with backboard and yellow border. I have to wonder if the county's are taking a pause due to the issues with the program. Funny thing is I drive through three intersections that were flagged by Nassau County for RLC's and none were ever installed. They had appeared in the POI here two years ago when a misinformed person supplied them without verifying their existence. The last new RLC installation I encountered is by West Babylon High School on NY-109. And that one only looks for people making an illegal right turn onto Great East Neck Road.

I came across this article recently: https://www.oathkeepers.org/new-york-man-arrested-for-cuttin.... I did not realize that Suffolk County started playing games with the timing of the yellow lights. I have not paid too much attention to the two full intersection RLC's I encounter as I just hit the brakes as soon as I see a yellow light. It is possible they were shortened but I am too busy making sure I stop safely than to count the number of seconds that elapsed.

The intersection of NY-107 and NY-25A in Brookville is getting new traffic lights complete with poles and wiring. I am watching this work because this is one of the intersections that was listed as a potential RLC site. They are putting in crosswalk lights too (which I find odd because this intersection is not an area with sidewalks or much pedestrian traffic). Work is still in progress and no poles have yet appeared for cameras. Of course that could be done after the new lights go live.

Speeds through this intersection are high. I have never seen a pedestrian there. The crosswalk lights will have count-down timers. This will increase safety by warning drivers a yellow light is coming.

However, near my house at Jericho Turnpike and South Oyster Bay Road and Jackson Avenue, after the count-down timer finishes, yellow is still 5 to 10 seconds away.

Any new traffic light installation would probably have at least the conduits for a red light camera, if not the entire installation.

dobs108

I took a bike ride over to the intersection. The poles are definitely for pedestrian crossing. I cannot figure that one out because there are no sidewalks anywhere around being old villages. They will be helpful for cyclists. I looked further around to see if there were any pads placed where camera poles might be located. The two corners I checked did not have any work beyond the new crossing poles. However, neither of those corners have the control box so if/until I get over to that side, I will not know for sure. The new lights were still not installed as of this morning.

The NY-107/NY-25A intersection has had no further traffic light work done. I was there yesterday and it is as if the contractors just walked away. The wires are strung as they had been several weeks ago but no further work done. This is definitely a prime candidate for an RLC.

Perhaps this is related to the county fiscal crisis? Previous traffic signals have been installed promptly whether with or without red light cameras.

dobs108

Another week passed and still no change. The intersection is state so the traffic lights and work are being done by the state not the county. I am assuming an RLC add-on would be the county's responsibility. It seems strange at how the poles and new wiring went in really fast and suddenly everything stopped. It appeared as if it would be done by mid-June considering the speed of the construction work. Those crossing lights are a hoot (at an intersection with no sidewalks or crosswalks).

The new traffic lights at NY-25A and NY-107 were turned on mid-day yesterday. Luckily I got through before they initiated the actual switch over as it caused a traffic nightmare for the police to deal with. I'll check the intersection out tomorrow evening to see what is up now.

I'll drive past and have a look.

dobs108

Kind of makes me wonder if the contractors suddenly realized they were working on the wrong intersection.

I am not sure now what is going on. When I wrote my previous post, they were in the process of turning them on and Old Brookville PD was having to deal with traffic issues while they were working the lights. Yet the new lights (which have those yellow borders now) are still bagged with burlap and the old lights are operational. Damned if I know what is going on there. It just means there is going to be a real mess when they again work on those new lights and remove the old ones. If I were a betting man, I would expect them to do it during rush hour the day after Labor Day when traffic will be at its worst with C.W. Post open, the elementary schools open and everyone back from vacation :/

By LIE INFORM sign standards, that would be "Traffic Moving Well".

This past week, the new lights at NY-107 and NY-25A were activated. Plus the crosswalk lights, where there are no sidewalks(!), are active too. There are no signs of any RLC infrastructure. I will be keeping an close eye on that as this is one of the intersections flagged in the two county lists of proposed RLC sites. From my observations, the revenue generator would not be people running the light but from make right-on-red's which are prohibited. A lot of people ignore the signs (at their peril).

Right-on-red was always the moneymaker.

dobs108

Are we ever going to get past the fact that the technology actually works? I know of an intersection where FedEx trucks make rights on red all day long, 24/7.

There are numerous examples of where the govt. creates revenue. How about that story where a fisherman had a 881 lb. tuna confiscated as soon as he reached shore, yet he had permits for all his boats? The NOAA auctioned his fish off and kept the proceeds.

Laws are laws, and they should be enforced.

The speed cameras at two locations in Nassau County have been removed:

Parkway School on Manetto Hill Road in Plainview
Baylis School on Woodbury Road in Syosset

All speed cameras in Nassau County were turned off on December 8, 2014. Since then, they have remained in place. No comments were ever made by Nassau officials or ATS on any financial arrangement between them. It was obvious to observers that ATS was hoping to lobby for the speed cameras to be activated once again.

Now that the speed cameras are really gone, how much did all this cost us taxpayers? The County is mum on that! When operating, the cameras were big moneymakers, but for almost two years, they were maintained by ATS without any revenue. I cannot believe the County is not paying some huge penalty for cancelling the contract.

dobs108