Irked about school-zone speed cameras

People who are angry and frustrated about school-zone speed zone cameras came with petitions, tickets and letters to an informational meeting at the Friedberg JCC in Oceanside on Dec. 3 to ask, What’s with all these tickets?

Their complaints — and many more since the program began — may have produced results, as the Republican majority of the County Legislature was scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday to announce the introduction of legislation to repeal the school safety speed camera program.

The Legislature’s Democratic members called for a halt to the program on Nov. 3.

The biggest complaint at last week’s meeting was about the size of the signs warning drivers about the cameras. Island Park resident Joel Schonfeld said he had “no problem with the 20 mph speed limit with proper notice,” such as flashing lights that are easy to see, but, he added, “you can’t see the sign on the side of the road if there is a car in the lane to the right of you.”

Nassau County Family Court Judge John Marks, executive director of the county Traffic and Parking Violation Bureau, explained that there are more than 400 public and parochial schools and child care centers in Nassau County, and that it would cost over $6.5 million to install flashing lights at every one, something the county is nonetheless looking into. He noted that come Feb. 1, 56 more schools would have flashing lights. (Even if you can’t see a school from the street, Marks said, if it is set back 1,320 feet or less, it has a school speed zone.)

Long Beach resident Maxine Metzger complained that the school-zone speed limit signs are too small, and that the painted warnings on the street distract a driver’s eye. She urged that speed bumps be installed, which, she said, are used in Queens, but Marks responded that speed bumps are not allowed on Nassau County roads.