Speed camera for Grand Ave?

County considering second location in Baldwin

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By now, local motorists know to slow down when passing St. Christopher School on Merrick Road in Baldwin. If they don’t, a speed camera will capture their image and an $80 ticket will be in the mail in the near future.

The camera went live on Sept. 3, the first day of classes at St. Christopher. But Baldwin residents may have to slow down on another major thoroughfare — Grand Avenue. According to county officials, a second speed camera is “under consideration” for Baldwin’s busiest north-south roadway. It would be installed by Ethel T. Kloberg Drive, the main entrance and exit for Baldwin High School.

But County Legislator Laura Curran (D-Baldwin), said that when she called the county’s Department of Public Works last week, she didn’t hear about any new speed cameras for Baldwin. “According to the DPW,” Curran said, “there are currently no plans to put any speed cameras anywhere on Grand Avenue.”

In addition to St. Christopher, BHS was one of 77 speed camera enforcement locations in Nassau County’s 56 school districts, according to a list released by the county Traffic and Parking Violations Agency last month.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill in June authorizing Nassau and Suffolk counties to begin a pilot program with cameras in school zones. The County Legislature approved a contract amendment with American Traffic Solutions to install the cameras. According to Judge John Marks, executive director of the TPVA, the law states that only one camera at a time may operate in a community.

If another camera were installed on Grand Avenue, motorists would have to slow down regardless if they didn’t want to press their luck. “A motorist should obey the posted school speed limit whether or not a camera is in operation,” Marks said. “With that said, the motorist should assume that the camera is in operation.”

On Monday, Superintendent Dr. Shari Camhi said that the county had not contacted the district about installing a camera by BHS.

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