A bill that would have allowed New York City to issue speeding tickets from 40 new speeding cameras failed to pass in the New York State legislature.
With Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal in shambles, he recently suggested another alternative: public shaming of bad drivers.
Mayor Bloomberg stated, “[W]hether or not you could have the cameras … we’ll put up their names and pictures someplace, maybe we can shame them.”
In an interesting twist of events, the bill, which had bipartisan support, did not make it to the floor before the end of the Albany legislative session.
What many do not know is that New York City already has a number of cameras that enforce red lights and bus lanes.
In spite of this, the speed-camera bill was introduced to the New York State Assembly and Senator Andew Lanza officially backed the bill not too long ago.
Supporters and critics alike expected the bill to become a law by the end of the past week. However, it never did.
On the John Gambling Show, the mayor noted that NYC could mount cameras all it wants, but the city cannot dole out fines based on them without state approval.
As such, without passage of the bill by the New York State legislature, his proposal was dead in the water.
A caller voiced her opinion during the show and said, “Drivers know that when the light turns red, they have a few seconds before the light turns green in the other way, and there are always two to three cars that zoom through that red light.”
Echoing the caller’s sentiments, Mayor Bloomberg explained, “We have thousands and thousands of corners, and we don’t have the money for thousands and thousands of cops standing on every corner.”
He continued, “Using technology you would think would be the most efficient thing. It would stop people from breaking the law.”
After growing frustrated, the mayor declared, “only in the crazy world of Albany” could such a proposal be turned down.
If you or a loved one recently received a New York speeding fine, contact an experienced traffic ticket attorney today.