Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen is asking the Brown administration to put Buffalo's school zone speed camera program on pause.
"I believe in the premise of slowing down traffic around schools. But the roll out has been horrible. We continue to have problems with the company," said Pridgen, referring to Sensys Gatso, the Midwest vendor that supplies and operates the school zone cameras for the city of Buffalo.
"I get Christmas cards from across the country within 3 days, I don't understand why a company cannot get speeding tickets to people within 14 days," said Pridgen.
City officials admit there were problems with the vendor, but claim many of the problems are being corrected.
Recently, nearly 20 thousand tickets were incorrectly issued. For many, the tickets came weeks or longer after being caught speeding on camera. Under the program, tickets must be issued within 14 days of the violation. The tickets in question are being either dismissed or refunded if the fine was paid.
Mayor Byron Brown says the vendor was experiencing delays due to weather
in the mid west, pandemic delays, and difficulties with the U.S. Postal Service.
"I was told Tuesday by an attorney for the city that the Common Council doesn't have the authority to pause the program. Only the commissioner or administration can do it. So before midnight, I wrote a resolution, along with my colleagues, Joel Feroleto and Rasheed Wyatt, to ask the administration to put the program on hold immediately," said Pridgen.
City officials say data shows the cameras are working as a deterrent to speeding in the school zones. According to officials, compliance has increased in school zones from 34% to 94%.
Mayor Brown remains committed to administering the program efficiently. The Mayor says anyone with a question or concern should call 3-1-1 and leave a voicemail.
Sensys Gatso is also planning to establish a local fulfillment center.
