The Suffolk County Legislature’s presiding officer says he is pushing to
reevaluate the red-light camera program.
Kevin McCaffrey says it will determine if some of the 100
cameras set up at intersections in Suffolk County are in the interest of public
safety or simply for revenue.
He says legislators will give recommendations as to which
intersections they will look into and if there is an
increase or decrease in the amount of accidents there.
According to a Suffolk
County report, rear-end collisions at red-light cameras have gone up by 45% since
the program started in 2010. They say that's because drivers who are aware of
cameras will slam on their brakes, which often leads to a collision.
Eric Alexander, director
of Vision Long Island, says it “makes sense to take a second look at the
program.”
“There are ways to create a physical
design on the roadway which reduces speed instead of a punitive measure like
the red-light cameras that disproportionately impact lower income folks and
working folks,” he said.
Red light camera tickets are $115 and the program
generates $39 million a year in revenue for Suffolk County.