BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said there was one school zone speed camera left on because of a school that is still in operation and that he wanted to follow the law.
The camera was turned off on Thursday following a passionate plea from University District Councilman Rasheed Wyatt.
"You turned off 19 when you needed to turn off 20," Wyatt screamed in his Facebook video.
Mayor Brown said the Facebook video prompted his office to turn off the final camera, meaning it will no longer ticket drivers who are going more than ten miles per hour over the speed limit while the camera is activated.
The school zone speed cameras have been criticized for months. One study presented to lawmakers said the program discriminated against minority and economically depressed communities. There were also confusion over citations not being mailed in a timely fashion.
A ticket received by someone who sped in the Bailey Avenue speed zone is still valid.
"The law department, in their legal reading of the ordinance that was passed by the council, it actually shows that the cameras would be off on September 1, even when school is in session," Mayor Brown said. "All of the other cameras were off because schools weren't in session. On Bailey Avenue, there was still an educational program in session at that location, which is why the camera was on."
Mayor Brown did not say if his office would waive fees for those who may have been confused, saying he believes there should have been no confusion about the program.
"The program was pretty straightforward," he said. "There were those that kept changing the program. After they changed the program, they said the program was confusing. You can't make numerous changes to something and then call it confusion. There were beacons flashing. It was said that when beacons are flashing, a camera is operational. There were beacons flashing and signs posted. We even went to the higher speed limit that the council requested after the council initially imposed a 15 mile per hour speed limit. We increased the speed limit to 20 miles per hour at the council request, meaning no one would get tickets unless they were going 31 miles per hour or faster."
While the cameras will no longer offer citations, they will still be in operation. It can still track how fast someone is going through a zone.
"Why would anybody not want to know how fast people are going past our children's schools?" Brown asked. "They're not issuing citations anymore. If the council wants cameras down and simply don't want to know how fast people are going past the schools that our children attend, we will take the cameras down at the request of the council. If something happens. If a child is injured. If a pedestrian is injured, please, reporters, don't come back to me and ask the question 'What are you going to do about this'. You know what I tried to do about this and you know the position of six members of the city council."
When school resumes in September, none of the cameras will issue citations.
"The program is over," Brown said. "The program has ended. There will not be another citation issued. But does it not make sense for us to know how fast vehicles are going past the schools that our children attend? Do we want to stick our heads in the sand and not know people are speeding dangerously past our schools. Again, this is up to the council."
Brown was hesitant about the city utilizing speed bumps due to the problems it could cause for drivers on major thoroughfares. He cited criticisms of speed bumps from his public works commissioner, Mike Finn, about the speed bumps.
More signage will be displayed urging drivers to slow down.
