Nassau bill would require red-light camera warnings

Nassau County would be required to warn motorists of red light cameras with signage near intersections under a bill filed Monday by the Republican majority.

However, the administration of County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, contends that all of the county’s 285 cameras are already identified.

The bill, sponsored by Legis. John Ferretti Jr. (R-Levittown), would require that signs be installed within 200 feet of the cameras. He said that while he believes warning signs accompany “the vast majority” of intersections, “it’s not codified. It’s not required.”

The bill would also require installation of signs near cameras where it’s permissible to make a right on red. A sign would have an arrow pointing to the thick white line on the road where the driver must make a full stop before making the right turn.

The signage would have to be installed by March 1, according to the legislation.

Ferretti said he often fields calls from constituents who receive tickets after believing they had, in fact, made a full stop before turning right on red. Often, the driver was caught making a “virtual stop” — driving very slowly at the white line — or had driven past the line because the paint had eroded, he said.

“There will be no confusion by a motor vehicle operator,” Ferretti said in an interview.

“Much of what the bill calls for is either already policy or not under the jurisdiction of the county,” said county spokeswoman Karen Contino. “There are already signs at every Nassau County photo enforcement location informing drivers of the presence of cameras. In addition, the county must adhere to New York State Department of Transportation regulations and will need state approval on any additional signage at NYS intersections.”

County officials said that workers check to see if a warning sign is in place before any of the cameras are installed. “Currently, there is no legal requirement to install/provide warning signs,” Contino said. “The county provides the signage as a courtesy to reinforce that the program is about safety.”

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.