Even though Suffolk stopped its red-light camera program, some are still up

Suffolk County may have ended its red-light camera program nine months ago, but the cameras, with accompanying signs warning drivers they are being surveilled, are still up at many intersections across the county. While they are not ticketing anyone, they could still be influencing driver behavior, according to experts.

The cameras belong to Canada-based vendor Modaxo, whose contract with the county was cut short in December, after the county and state legislators failed to renew the program.

The contract, which Newsday obtained through a public records request, expires in 2026 but allowed the county to terminate it earlier with 30 days’ notice. In case of termination, it stipulated the county has "the right to have Contractor remove the Equipment or to retain all Equipment" if the county chooses to purchase it.

Spokesman Michael Martino said in a statement the county has "requested the company move forward with equipment removal as quickly as possible." He did not immediately respond when asked about the timing of that request.

As of Wednesday, eight intersections that Newsday visited in Coram, Melville, Farmingdale and Copiague still had cameras up, along with signs announcing the lights were "photo enforced."

Representatives for Modaxo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Though the Suffolk Legislature has the authority to resurrect the program, with permission from the state, Legis. Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holbrook) said the program is "not coming back, not as long as I'm in the legislature."

"I haven’t heard one colleague that says they want the program to come back," he added.

Michael Shenoda, a professor of traffic engineering at Farmingdale State College, said  because the cameras and signs are still up at many intersections, they could still be influencing driver behavior — at least for those who haven’t heard the news that the program is over.

"Awareness and perception are the biggest things," he said. "It has almost no effect to have cameras without drivers knowing that they're there."

Around the county, 216 red light camera systems at 100 intersections were used to issue an average of 980 tickets per day in 2023, according to official data.

The program was controversial, with some questioning its safety benefits.

Piccirillo called ending the program "a win for safety," citing a county-sponsored analysis that found crashes increased after the cameras were installed.

In fact, while a 2020 county study did find an 8.6% increase in the total number of crashes, it also found an 11.3% decrease in the number of crashes involving injuries after cameras were installed. The increase in the total was driven by a rise in rear-end crashes, which Shenoda said can be caused by drivers braking suddenly to avoid a ticket. But there were fewer right-angled crashes, which are more likely to injure or kill someone.

The program was also widely criticized as a "money grab" that penalized drivers for small infractions, such as not coming to a full stop before turning right on red.

Even though state law only allows authorities to charge $50 for red-light camera tickets, Suffolk used to charge an extra $30 "administrative fee." Nassau, which still has a red-light camera program, tacked on even more fees — totaling $100 on top of the $50 fine.

Suffolk stopped charging the extra fees after a county court ruled them illegal in 2020 while Nassau followed suit in 2024, after an appeals court confirmed that both counties’ fee systems were illegal. Both counties face ongoing lawsuits brought by drivers over the extra fees.