Linda Behrman, right, of North
Merrick, and Fay Prinos, left, of Plainview, hold signs and cheer during
a rally to protest the speed cameras in school zones in Garden City,
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014. Photo Credit: Steve Pfost
More than 30 people rallied in Garden City on Sunday for the second
week in a row to oppose Nassau County's school zone speed cameras, once
again calling for an end to the controversial program.
"They have upset a huge amount of their constituency . . .
enough is enough," said one protester, Marcy Feltman, 55, of Rockville
Centre. Many at the rally were members of a Facebook-organized group that, they said, has more than 3,700 members. The group held a rally last week in Mineola.
Sunday the protesters were on the sidewalk along Old Country Road near the Roosevelt Field mall. Several reiterated their position that they believe the program isn't about safety, but about raising money.
But county officials have argued safety is a top concern.
John Marks, the county's Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, said in a statement Sunday that the county has been home to the most dangerous roads in the region for pedestrians in five out of the six years since the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit, began its Most Dangerous Roads for Walking analysis in 2008.
"School is open; motorists should slow down and drive more carefully as one death is one death too many," he said.
But County Legis. Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) said the program's rollout was "done very poorly and it left doubt in everyone's minds." She has called for the suspension of the program until proper signage and warnings are installed.
Most recently, county officials said they will install new signs with flashing lights in the 56 school zones eligible for speed cameras. Jacobs said this commitment is "good news . . . that they have finally admitted that's what always should have been done."
Sylvia Bedford, a West Babylon resident, said she came to the rally because Suffolk County is also planning to install cameras. The county is selecting a vendor to install and operate the cameras in each of its 69 school districts. The cameras could begin operating before the next school year, county officials said.
Bedford said she's against the cameras, but added: "If Suffolk can learn from Nassau's mistakes, it's better for us."
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
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