County News

Increasing traffic safety for Baldwin residents

Redlight camera coming to Grand Avenue

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The Nassau County Traffic Safety Board has made plans to install a red light camera in Baldwin at the intersection Grand Avenue and Seaman Avenue. As a part of the Nassau County Red Light Camera Program, Traffic Safety wants to enhance the public safety for drivers and pedestrians at stop lights.

“The number one goal we keep in mind is to get a change of behavior from motorists,” said Christopher Mistron, Traffic Safety Coordinator.

Mistron said that Traffic Safety collects crash data from the Nassau County Police Department and the New York State Department of Transportation to examine the “nature of the car crashes” as a way to choose their location for a red light camera. By compiling a list of accident locations, they are able narrow down areas that are most suitable for implementing these cameras.

Through five years of running their red light camera operation in other locations throughout the county, the 2014-2015 program statistics reveal a decrease in crashes through each year. Crashes that include rear end, side, and head on collisions have steadily decreased each year following the installation of each camera.

Nassau County legislator Laura Curran (D-Baldwin) has taken notice to the decline in car crashes and is in full agreement with this plan.

“If statistics show that red light cameras are beneficial for keeping our streets safe, how can anyone argue with that?,” Curran said.

From 2010-2014, data shows that there has been no fatal crashes reported at none of the red light camera locations in Nassau County. Traffic Safety expects to see less crashes as more cameras are installed in places like Grand Avenue.

“I think it’s good for people to know that it’s there,” said Baldwin Civic Association president Karen Montalbano. “Anything that helps is always welcome. We do need to be effective in protecting pedestrians who are walking by the intersection or motorists who drive through it.”

Mistron explained that the Traffic Safety Board also uses footage from the cameras to study whether drivers are making illegal turns on red, driving through a red light, or not yielding the right of way. As construction is set to take place at Grand Avenue and Seaman Avenue, he said the board hopes this program can raise awareness for drivers that fail to comply with traffic signals.