The East Hampton Village Board voted last Thursday to support state legislation that could lead to the installation of cameras at stop signs here.
New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law does not allow the use of cameras at stop signs, but the proposed legislation, known as the Protect Our Pedestrians Act, would, for the first time, give “authority to the villages to use cameras in this way,” Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. said.
Before it can be implemented, it will first have to pass the State Assembly and Senate, and there is no guarantee that it will clear the Assembly before it goes on break for the summer next Thursday.
“It will be a heavy lift to get this done,” Mr. Thiele said. “Cameras are controversial. I can guarantee people will challenge tickets that come as a result of them.” But he was supportive of giving villages the ability to use the cameras. “This is groundbreaking,” he said. “I’m basically supportive of the technology. I support school bus cameras, and it’s a local decision, but they need state authorization first.”
According to the proposed law, the vehicle owner would be hit with a $50 fine if they failed to stop at a stop sign with a camera. If they ignore the fine, it increases to $75. At present, if you get a ticket from an officer for running a stop sign, it runs $150, plus a $93 surcharge.
“You’ve got to come to a complete stop. If you roll through it, you’re going to get a ticket in the mail,” Jeff Erickson, the acting chief of police for the village, said in a phone call.
“Excessive vehicle speeds and the failure of motorists to come to a full stop at intersections controlled by a stop sign has become an increased problem in the village and thus an increased risk to pedestrians and cyclists,” read the resolution approved by the board.
East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen wasn’t sure which intersections would be monitored if the pilot program is okayed. However, both he and Mr. Erickson quickly mentioned the same two they found problematic.
“The one I think of is at Stephen Hand’s Path and 27,” said Mayor Larsen. “Nobody stops at that stop sign. There’s another, where Railroad Avenue meets Newtown Lane, by Hampton Chutney, that nobody stops at either. There are a lot of options.”
Stop sign cameras are just another attempt to slow drivers through residential areas, brought there, in part, by traffic apps like Waze. A year ago, the board approved the installation of three temporary speed humps on Highway Behind the Pond. This week, three more were installed on La Forest Lane. At a March meeting, Mr. Erickson requested more stop signs. In April, the board approved $47,821 for 10 speed cameras.
“The ultimate goal is to reduce accidents,” said Mr. Erickson, who is supportive of the legislation. “Tickets are issued for compliance. If you know Big Brother is watching, it should lead to voluntary compliance, and that should hopefully make our streets safer. We have staffing, but we can’t be everywhere all the time. Just this morning we had a call about dogs on the beach. The person wanted to know why we didn’t have more officers down there. It’s not for lack of trying, but there are only so many ways you can slice the pizza.”
Apart from providing revenue to the village and state, the cameras would also be used to collect data. The number of violations recorded at each intersection where stop sign photo violation monitoring systems are installed would be shared with the state, as well as the amount of revenue realized by the village.
Mayor Larsen was doubtful the cameras would be installed by the end of the summer, even if the state adopts the law. “I don’t think this summer would be realistic. We kind of came to this late.” Southampton Village and East Hampton are the only two East End villages at present seeking to implement the program.
