BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The City of Buffalo's controversial school zone speeding camera program is officially coming to an end.
The Buffalo Common Council voted in favor of an amendment to stop using the cameras late in May, after more than a year of back-and-forth over the program that Mayor Byron Brown touted as a protective measure for students district-wide.
Common Council members sent their decision to the mayor on June 4, who had a 10-day window from that date to veto the amendment. That deadline passed on Tuesday.
Councilman Rasheed N.C. Wyatt said Tuesday night Mayor Brown did nothing to stop the amendment, meaning the cameras will be shut off permanently on September 1.
"This was not a great idea and there are other measures that are 24 hours," said Wyatt. "Speed humps, and other measures to improve traffic along our school zones, and also the fact that our school zones will go from 15 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour, I think it's a win for the public."
The city has 60 days to notify the camera vendor and take down the cameras.
Wyatt says in their place, speed bumps, new signs and speed radars will be installed. The beacons that are currently in place will stay.
Tickets will still be issued until the cameras are shut off.
Since the cameras were turned on, they have drawn harsh criticisms, including over where they are installed. The City of Buffalo created the map below that shows the locations of the active school zone cameras.
Critics say a majority of the cameras are in neighborhoods that have high populations of low-income families.
According to census data compiled in 2018, at least 12 of the 21 active cameras on the map are in census tracts where the average household makes less than $35,000 per year.
The current federal poverty guidelines, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, list the poverty line at $31,040 for a household of five people.
