School zone cameras set up across the county went back online on Tuesday and Wednesday, two weeks after Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced that he would forgive more than $2.4 million in fines that were issued in error after five school zone cameras, which were turned on without notifying the public and recorded drivers speeding through school zones on non-school days.
Only one of those cameras fall within the Town of North Hempstead, according to an e-mail from Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin.
A school zone camera near Saint Brigid/Our Lady of Hope Regional School, located at 101 Maple Avenue in Westbury was turned on Sept. 2, Nevin said.
Nevin said that two additional school zone cameras within the town are expected to be turned on Sept. 8.
A school zone camera near Great Neck North Middle School, located at 77 Polo Road, and one near Paul D Schreiber Senior High School, located at 10 Campus Drive in Port Washington, will be turned on Monday, Nevin said in an e-mail.
Drivers caught speeding through school zones will be subject to $80 in fines. The cameras will only be operational from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on school days, Nevin said.
The state Legislature in April approved a law that would allow Nassau County to install one speed camera per school district.
The county has so far installed about 33 of the 56 cameras it was granted by the state, Nevin said.
The cameras will record speeding violations in real time, without the need to have a police officer present in the area, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in February.
Previously, county police were required to physically witness a driver speeding to write a summons.
Five of those cameras were turned on during the summer, without notifying the public, resulting in more than $2.4 million in fines issued to drivers speeding through school zones on non-school days.
Mangano announced on his official Twitter page that he was declaring amnesty for the tickets issued during the summer.
“I am declaring amnesty for the summer school tickets because too many tickets were issued in error and residents seemed unaware of the camera activation,” he said.
Mangano said that anybody who has already paid their ticket would be issued a refund by the Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos.
“If you have not paid yet, have fun ripping up your ticket,” he added.
But Nassau County Democrats say more needs to be done to make drivers aware of the presence of school zone cameras.
Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) last week filed a bill with Nassau County Legislator Judith Jacobs (D-Woodbury), proposing that the county install flashing yellow lights warning drivers of the presence of a camera and that the cameras only be in use from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and that tickets not be issued for speeding violations that occur on days when school is not in session.
Denenberg said last week that the proposals were meant to bring the program “back to the basics of what it should have always been about, public safety.”
“Without proper warning and notice that a school crossing is being monitored electronically the speed cameras are just simply about the revenue and not what the intention should have been, public safety,” Denenberg added.
Nevin said in response to Denenberg’s proposals that “Denenberg approved these speed cameras and fails to understand that they will only operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on school days.”
“Legislator Denenberg is a day late and dollar short as yesterday the administration announced plans to seek flashing lights in school zones as to further protect children from speeding motorists,” Nevin added
