Nassau mobile speed camera vans no longer idling, official says

The engines of Nassau County's mobile speed camera vans have been turned off.

Vans parked at curbside are "no longer operated in the idling mode" John Marks, executive director of the county's Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, said in an email this week.

The idling engines had caught the attention of readers. Last weekend we reported that the company the county hired to install and operate the cameras, American Traffic Solutions, said running the engines intermittently was necessary "to ensure the battery is not depleted during deployment times." The greater the volume of photos a camera snaps, the faster the battery drains, the company said.

But engine idling is no longer necessary because the vehicles "are being more frequently swapped throughout the day," Marks said. "We have 20 vehicles in the fleet and on average 8 are deployed" at a given time.

In the next few months, he said, the vans will be "retrofitted with additional batteries that will allow for longer deployments."

Several readers notified us that idling engines for extended periods may be a violation of state Vehicle and Traffic Law. When we asked if the practice was a potential violation, Marks responded that "corrective action" had been taken.

Readers also have spotted new Speed Enforced by Photo/Video signs at two more sites: Berry Hill School on Cold Spring Road in Syosset and Massapequa High School on Merrick Road.

The county would not confirm the new locations: "It was in the press release [last month] that all 400+ schools in Nassau County were eligible for monitoring," Marks said in an email.

State law allows the cameras to enforce the posted school speed limit from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.