Suffolk County Legislators met at a special meeting on Tuesday and voted Yes to a home rule message requesting NYS to authorize the installation of speed cameras to be placed in school zones in Suffolk County. The vote 14 in favor, 3 opposed ( Kennedy, Trotta, Cilmi), Leg. Kate Browning abstained.
Smithtown Legislator Rob Trotta (13th LD) voted NO and expressed his dismay to Smithtown Matters. “Safety is not the issue here. We have crossing guards at the schools who are doing a great job. We are being asked to vote without giving us hard facts as to why we need cameras.”
Trotta suggested that speed cameras are more about budgeting, the cameras are estimated to generate close to $7 million in revenue for the county, and less about school safety. “They want to be able to say they didn’t raise General Fund taxes but this is about money not safety,” said Trotta.
Suffolk County will not be obligated to post signs announcing camera useThere are 69 school districts in Suffolk County and the goal is to have one camera for each school district. The cameras can be moved around the district and according to Trotta there is nothing in the proposal that requires warning signs to be placed in targeted school zones.
The proposal would sanction the ticketing of drivers who are photographed driving ten miles over the school zone speed limit. The cameras would begin functioning an hour before, during and one hour after school ends. In addition cameras will be functioning a half-hour before, during and after other school events. Legislator Trotta is adamant that this is unacceptable. “How are people to know that there is something going on at the school. People can’t see behind schools, when games are being played. Are we going to be giving tickets to people traveling 31mph when school hours are over and there is an event taking place in the building or behind a school?”