Letters: Demise of the speed cameras
Suffolk County asked state legislators for permission to install speed cameras in dozens of school zones -- a program that supporters said would increase safety for children and raise an estimated $6.8 million a year for the county. Credit: Courtesy of Xerox
Obviously there was no forethought or planning in the entire school-zone speed camera fiasco ["Cameras caught politics' ugly side," Editorial, Dec. 17].
Now the real question is how much Nassau County has spent on what appears to be a failure, and how much will be wasted in terminating the contract with the vendor.
Dave Beldner, East Rockaway
I am extremely disappointed by Long Island's elected officials on both sides of the political spectrum who are putting politics ahead of the public. There is no question that red-light cameras and speed cameras encourage drivers to obey traffic laws.
Growing up, I always heard people jokingly say green means go, red means stop, yellow means speed up. For the first time in my life, I actually see drivers slowing down at intersections with traffic cameras.
Mike Seilback, Commack
Your editorial about the speed cameras veers terribly off the mark after you decry and take to task County Executive Edward Mangano for dishonesty and incompetence.
You conveniently left out our equally incompetent, money-hungry county legislators.
And let us not forget the administrative courts that refused to allow the public to argue their camera tickets in front of a judge.
Wayne Spivak, Bellmore
Nassau County has stated that the school cameras were about safety, not money. Now that the program has been shut down all we hear about is the lost revenue. Why is no one talking about the safety of the children?
The Nassau County Legislature should call the program what it was meant to be: a scam to raise money.
Dante Mongiardo, Franklin Square
Clearly Nassau County legislators, who voted unanimously in favor of installing speed cameras in June, are as out of touch with the taxpayers as their big brothers and sisters in Washington, D.C.
Tom Dantonio, Northport
The decision to remove the cameras from school zones is not wise for the county. Yes, the cameras have brought great controversy, but removing them will make the tensions 10 times worse. Once the cameras are taken down, taxes will more than likely increase.
Thomas Lenney, Albertson
Now that we see that speed cameras were never about safety, but only revenue, we need to admit and do the same for the red-light cameras. I bet many, if not most, of the "infractions" are for slowly rolling through a right turn on red. Newsday recently published a police officer's letter stating that he would use discretion and ignore such technical infractions when the driver clearly abided by the intent of the law ["Traffic cameras take away discretion," Letters, Nov. 14].
Ed Schwartz, Dix Hills
So, if Nassau County is repealing the school camera program, do I get my ticket money back?
Debbie Glavas, West Islip
