Effective today (August 6th), the following three high-risk intersections will be equipped with active red light cameras:
* Bethpage: Stewart Avenue & Central Avenue
* Massapequa: Merrick Road & Park Boulevard
* Oceanside: Atlantic Avenue & Lawson Boulevard
Fines for running these red lights will be $50 each and, once all 20 initial cameras are activated are expected to generated $20 million per year. The good news is that this type of ticket is NOT a moving violation and carries 0 points. The bad news is that they are near impossible to fight. Absent a mechanical problem, a medical issue or a stolen vehicle, there are no defenses. As they say, the camera doesn’t lie.
I actually got once of these tickets in New York City and decided to fight it. Looking at the black and white photo, it was hard to discern whether the light was red or yellow. Well, after a long wait, I made my case to the judge and he simply pulled up the original, color photograph associated with my ticket, zoomed in, and showed me a bright red light. Result: Guilty and a waste of over an hour.
The following is the complete list of the first 20 red light cameras which all will be activated by September 1, 2009.
- Baldwin – Grand Avenue & Merrick Road – EB & WB
- Baldwin – Merrick Road & Milburn Avenue – SB & NB
- Bellmore – Bellmore Avenue & Merrick Road – EB & WB
- Bellmore – Bellmore Avenue & Newbridge Road – SB & NB
- Bethpage – Stewart Avenue & Central Avenue – EB & WB
- East Meadow – Merrick Avenue & Glenn Curtiss Boulevard – SB & NB
- East Rockaway – Atlantic Avenue & Ocean Avenue – WB & EB
- Hicksville – Old Country Road & Hicksville Road – SB & NB
- Hicksville – Old Country Road & Jerusalem Avenue – WB & NB
- Hicksville/Plainview – Old Country Road & South Oyster Bay Road – SB & EB
- Inwood/Lawrence – Austin Boulevard & Empire Boulevard/Long Beach Road – NEB & SWB
- Inwood/Lawrence – Nassau Expressway & Rockaway Turnpike – NB & NEB
- Levittown – Wantagh Avenue & Old Jerusalem Road – SB & NB
- Massapequa – Merrick Road & Park Boulevard – EB &WB
- Merrick – Merrick Road & Merrick Avenue – EB & WB
- Oceanside – Atlantic Avenue & Lawson Boulevard – SB & NB
- Oceanside – Long Beach Road & Daly Boulevard – SB & NB
- Oceanside – Long Beach Road & Mott Street – SB & NB
- Uniondale – SB & NB Earle Ovington Boulevard & Charles Lindbergh Boulevard EB
- Woodmere – Woodmere Boulevard & Peninsula Boulevard – NE & SW
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2dd7c83a-bb54-4f77-9884-bb54bd26cb93)
8 Comments. Leave new
I recieved a red light ticket on mott street Oceanside and just for the fun of it I went to trial ( I knew I could win before I stared ) I was prepaird with to many facts/ questions times stopping distance speed etc for the Da to properly present/prove her case The judge decided she did could not support the video clearly showing my auto going through the red signal SO NOT GUILTY
Howard,
Nicely done. I hope your post encourages other to challenge their traffic tickets.
Bravo!
Matthew Weiss
The bills come from Arizona and the Money gets mailed to Ohio. I would not be surprised if they are then outsourced and all sent to India. It is not good policy to send revenue money out of state creating jobs from our money for people in other states.
There are more cameras then these and I do not believe they all have signs to their presence.
Marcus Ave and Lakeville Rd.
If EVERYONE showed up and wasted an hour of court time, you can bet that they would remove the cameras. They only put them in because the company sold them on the revenues. If you make it too expensive, they will take them out.
J Frimdaddy,
I can’t disagree with you. The challenge is organizing motorists to “clog” the system with trials.
Hi,
I think the Traffic camera idea is great, but they need to have timers on the cameras for incoming cars. Once the light turns yellow right away goes to green then the Flash. Can’t even tell when the light is changing if you are already under the light passing.
Bob, thanks for submitting your comments and the praise for how we helped you with your two speeding tickets.
Slow moving traffic in the left lane can be very frustrating for faster drivers. Just as bad are when truck drivers use the left lane. There is not much that can be done to prevent this conduct, however. I guess you one consolation is that most of your driving is on the Belt Parkway which is usually backed up with traffic anyway.
Matt
Hello,
I drive the Belt Parkway daily, 75 miles each way to-from work. I wish we could get the word out to drivers, that SLOWER traffic MUST keep right. I think they stopped teaching this to new drivers or removed this information from the learner’s permit manual.
DUH.
When the slower traffic is in the left lane, cars are trying to get around this by cutting over to the right, then back left, etc. This causes accidents, really, I see this all the time.
Take a look at Route 80 as you go to PA, there are warning signs instructing slower traffic in the LEFT lane will be ticketed. What can we do about this???
Thanks, Bob M. By the way, I’ve used you guys twice and both times you got my speeding ticket dismissed. Thanks again.