Suffolk County’s Public Safety Commission moved the county’s red light camera program forward to the full legislature for a vote, but they did so without a recommendation, putting the fate of the program in doubt.
The program started back in 2010. It was billed as a way to raise money and reduce accidents. Studies have shown that the cameras do reduce serious crashes, but that overall crashes increase. However, the program has been successful at raising money. About $20 million a year.
The cameras have long been the subject of heated debate and criticism from drivers who say the automatically generated tickets are a backdoor tax. Lawmakers also signaled concern about where the 100 cameras are located.
To extend, or not extend, the program will likely come for a vote at next Wednesday’s General Meeting.