Broome County school bus cameras net more than 3K tickets, $750K in fines in 1st year
Drivers who are in the habit of passing school buses that are stopped with their lights flashing, in violation of state law, might want to reconsider that practice, as Broome County is reporting the first year of its school bus stop-arm camera program caught more than 3,000 motorists flouting the law.
The Broome County Legislature created a demonstration program for stop-arm cameras in 2019 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation allowing cameras to be attached to stop-arms that extend from school buses.
After a monthlong warning period, the program took effect in Broome County in June 2021, meaning any drivers videotaped passing a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended faced a first-time fine of $250, with fine amounts increasing with each subsequent violation.
County officials announced Tuesday the program recorded 3,030 violations in its first full year.
Under the program, video cameras mounted on school buses capture images of vehicles passing the buses that have their stop-arms extended, along with the vehicle's license plate.
Law enforcement personnel review the evidence and determine whether a violation has occurred. If a violation is confirmed, a notice is issued and mailed to the vehicle owner.
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Of the 3,030 motorists who were caught on camera passing a stopped school bus, only 14 were judged "not liable," and were not required to pay a fine, according to county officials.
The fines generated about $750,000 in revenue during the program's first year, county officials said.
Verra Mobility, the company that outfitted more than 200 buses with camera equipment and technology and maintains all of it, receives 60% of that revenue. The county uses the remaining 40% to cover administrative costs, along with training and education related to the program.
More than 31,000 Broome County children are transported in school buses every school day, according to county officials, who say the success of the program won't be measured by the number of vehicles found violating the law, but by the decrease in stop-arm violations over time.
For more information on the stop-arm camera program, go to gobroomecounty.com/e911/Stop-Arm.
The state Department of Transportation on Tuesday also announced a new program designed to make it safer for school students and others to cross Vestal Parkway in the Town of Vestal.
DOT officials say a pedestrian hybrid beacon has been installed mid-block between the signalized intersections of Clayton Avenue and state Route 26 on Vestal Parkway.
The beacons only stop traffic when activated by pedestrians with the push of a button, and are expected to make it safer for students crossing Vestal Parkway to attend Clayton Avenue Elementary School and Vestal High School.
Design work and installation of the pedestrian hybrid beacon was funded in part by a Transportation Alternatives Program grant secured by the Town of Vestal.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Broome County school bus stop-arm program netted 3K tickets
