Farmingdale Village Mayor stated his support for plans to add red light cameras to three intersections in Farmingdale.
The discussion took place during a work session on Aug. 13.
The plan for the cameras originally came from Nassau County which requested the village allow them in Farmingdale.
"I firmly believe that people slow down where there is photo electric enforcement. I just believe that people do it. Not everybody is going to slow down, but I know that the great majority of people that I know and talk to, when they see signs…they automatically slow down. It is just human nature," Ekstrand said.
He said he is pushing for a camera to be installed at Staples Street and Route 109. Originally just two intersections, Route 109 and Main Street and NY 24 and Merrits Road, were under consideration for cameras.
"We are never going to get traffic calming on 109. We have had five deaths. We know we have had five deaths," he said.
The board has delayed the public hearing on the matter after concerns from Trustee Cheryl Parisi. Ekstrand said he is honoring her request for more data from traffic engineers involved with the project before going forward with the vote.
"The numbers that we all received from them…the amount of turns, the amount of accidents...where did they get that data from and how did they make it applicable was her question," the mayor said. "I told her until she gets that answer we won't vote on it."
No revenue would come to the village from the tickets if the plan were to pass.
These real late runners (5+ secs. late) don't do it on purpose. They don't know (most violations are by lost or distracted visitors - the mayor of Hallandale FL just revealed that 78% of their camera tickets go to visitors) or don't remember (distracted or impaired "locals") that a camera is up ahead, so the presence of a camera won't stop them. To cut these real late runs and the crashes they cause, a city should identify its worst intersections and improve the visual cues. A. Paint "signal ahead" on the pavement. A study sponsored by Florida's DOT found that doing so could cut running by up to 74%. B. Make the signal lights bigger in dia. or, add another signal head. A study by the Texas Transp. Inst. (TTI) found that doing either one could cut crashes by 47%. C. Add backboards to the signal heads, or enlarge those you have. The TTI study found that doing so could cut crashes by 32%. D. For nighttime driving, install brighter bulbs in the street lights and put up lighted name signs for the cross street. The cues should be tried at the worst intersections, and the results published, before putting in red light cameras.