BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo's school speed zone safety program went live in March, then went quiet after school buildings closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting Tuesday, however, some of them will be back and ticketing drivers who speed by. Five cameras that cover six schools will be reactivated at:
- Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Children’s Academy at 3149 Bailey Avenue from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Canisius High School at 1180 Delaware Avenue from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Nichols School at 1250 Amherst Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Notre Dame Academy at 1125 Abbott Road from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- St. Joseph University School at 3275 Main Street from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Westminster Community Charter School at 24 Westminster Avenue from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Overall, there are 20 cameras in city school zones that have flashing beacons, alerting drivers to slow down. Drivers who fail to do so will likely get a $50 ticket in the mail. But just those five cameras will be active, for now.
The other 15 cameras will be turned back on as more schools return to in-class instruction.
"The number one responsibility of government is ensuring public health, safety, and well-being," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement issued on Friday. "The goal is to reach 100% compliance with school zone speed limits, to ensure the safety of children, parents, administrators, faculty and staff, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians."
Kevin Helfer, Buffalo's parking commissioner, said of the program in March: "The cameras are incredibly sophisticated, and they are able to differentiate up to six lanes of traffic. Anyone that gets a violation, when they get their notice in the mail, the notice of violation at the bottom, it will tell them how to access and see exactly what happened."