BUFFALO, N.Y. — It appears that Buffalo's school zone speed cameras are going to be coming down in a matter of months.
The Buffalo Common Council voted late last month to take down the cameras and Mayor Byron Brown had 10 days to sign or veto the resolution.
Councilmembers told 2 On Your Side, Brown did neither which means the resolution will take effect.
"Every time I go down the street on Delaware they keep getting me and it's mad annoying," said Xavier Kyle of Buffalo. "I want to be able to just go down my street and not get a ticket."
"There was speculation and a lot of talk about it being targeted to a certain audience so I think that them taking it down is a sign that we are moving in the right direction," added Chloe of Buffalo.
Councilmember Rasheed Wyatt said people had many concerns about the program, one was that the fine was $50 if you drove 10 miles over the 15 mph speed limit, the other was uniformity.
"Different districts and different areas had different times. It was very confusing to the public," Wyatt said.
Mayor Brown however is keeping his stance supporting the program and said he is pushing to keep it.
"I've asked a number of members of the council to meet to go over the data," Brown said. "The school speed zones are working in the City of Buffalo. People are slowing down."
The cameras will have to come down by the end of August and by September other safety measures will be in place like speed bumps, radar signs and the speed limit will be raised.
"We increased the speed limit from 15 to 20 in a school zone as well as we want to make sure the signage is very clear to motorists and to families," Wyatt said.
However, Mayor Brown told 2 On Your Side's Ron Plants not all the planned safety improvements will be possible in every school zone.
"But some of the improvements that have (been) discussed are not doable from an engineering standpoint," he said.
An exact figure for how much revenue the City of Buffalo has received from this program was not immediately available Tuesday night but Councilmember Wyatt said it was budgeted for the 2021 fiscal year for $2.6 million.