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Buffalo School Zone Speed Cameras

Post by whoaitspete
As of January 2020, the City of Buffalo has permission to install speed cameras in up to 20 school zones. The cameras were turned on January 6th, 2020 and began to issue citations February 6th, 2020.

Whereas speed cameras in New York City are enforcing the all-day 25mph speed limit and are active for a majority of the day (6am to 10pm), the Buffalo cameras are enforcing a 15mph speed limit for only a minority of the day (approximately 7am to 4pm) in what is typically a 30mph+ zone. This means that any speed cameras added to the app are warning drivers going at least 16mph during the majority of the day and weekends, when the speed limit is almost double that speed.

When speed limits were first added to the app, there were users reports complaining about school zone speed alerts outside of the enforced hours. This led to the national guidance to not map any time-based speed limits that are active for only a minority of the day. Building on this guidance and keeping our editing standards consistent, we have decided to not map the new school zone speed cameras in Buffalo to avoid the false alerts that users experienced with speed limits.

In the case that the school zones are changed to 15mph for a majority of the day or time-based cameras become an option in the editor and app, we will re-evaluate this guidance and update it as necessary. Until that time, please do not map the 15mph school zone speed cameras in Buffalo.
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Post by whoaitspete
Recent discussions and URs have led to a re-evaluation of the speed camera policy for Buffalo. Though these cameras are active for a minority time of the week, the signage for the cameras and Wazers' general use of the app for warnings have convinced us to add these cameras to the app to err on the side of caution.

As such, the 14 cameras installed by the City of Buffalo have been added to the map. They have been given a 25mph limit for the audible warning, as the cameras are triggered at 26mph during active hours. While this will cause audible alerts at 26+ mph at times when the cameras are turned off and the zones are 30mph+, we feel it is better for the user to get the alert and slow to the speed limit (i.e., the app provided SL) than worry about a ticket after seeing the camera sign while speeding (and not necessarily the times on the sign).

Current list of the 14 active cameras (note the odd/even number determines side of the street):
3125 Bailey Ave
3130 Bailey Ave
1177 Delaware Ave
1236 Delaware Ave
1463 Elmwood Ave
1087 Jefferson Ave
1132 Jefferson Ave
694 Kensington Ave
311 Military Rd
522 Military Rd
267 Porter Ave
255 S Elmwood Ave
295 Suffolk St
302 Suffolk St

Edit: 11/03/20 - One new camera verified by a user:
68 Colvin Ave

Edit: 12/08/20 - Another camera verified by user
3235 Main St

Edit: 12/11/20 - Two more verified by users
904 Abbott Rd (Pole on the corner of Narragansett and Abbott)
1125 Abbott Rd (shows as 1087 on GIS, pole near the playground)

Edit: 02/12/21 - One more verified by users
1725 Clinton St (across from Glenn St intersection)

Edit: 03/26/21 - One more verified by user
98 E Ferry St (NW corner of Morley & E Ferry)

Edit: 04/19/21 - One verified by user
2829 Main St (SE corner of Main & Mercer)

Edit 04/19/21 - Others verified in fall 2020 streetview along with this article
2918 Main St
2300 block of Main St (even side - SW corner of Main and Willowlawn)
2365 Main St
1500 Elmwood Ave (traffic light pole)
320 Porter Ave
68 Colvin Ave (facing northbound across the street from 53 Colvin)
3240 Main St
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Last edited by whoaitspete on Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:56 pm, edited 8 times in total.

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Post by whoaitspete
The last six cameras were installed and activated, however, the city has not posted the exact address of these last few. Here's a link to the current schools being enforced (only ones in-person during COVID), with the cameras for Nichols School, Notre Dame Academy, St. Joseph University School currently not in Waze.

We have a report from a user with 68 Colvin Ave reported (for Nichols School), but there are 5 more that need to be found.
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Post by whoaitspete
It appears we have new Oct-Nov 2020 streetview through most of Buffalo, which made it possible to confirm almost all of the cameras.

Every speed camera is now actively ticketing after being suspended during COVID virtual learning and this article provided a list of all of the 20 school zones the city installed cameras when ticketing restarted. The article also provides a link to the city's map of locations, though it does not have the specific pole and direction cameras are facing.

With that, here is the list of cameras by school, with only a few missing cameras and/or SV to confirm:

Discovery School, 911 Abbott Rd
[*] Northbound

Dr. Blackman, PS 54, 2358 Main St.
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Eve School, 453 Leroy Ave.
[*] Southbound

Grabiarz School/West Hertel, 489 Hertel Ave.
[*] Northbound

Olmsted School, 319 Suffolk St. (Unconfirmed, 2018 SV but added by local user)
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Houghton Academy, 1725 Clinton St.
[*] Eastbound

Hutch Tech/ Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, 256 Elmwood Ave. / 315 Carolina St.
[*] Northbound

Makowski School, 1095 Jefferson Ave.
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

McKinley School, 1500 Elmwood Ave.
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Porter School/ DaVinci School, 255 Porter Ave. / 320 Porter Ave.
[*] Eastbound
[*] Westbound

Bennett Park Montessori, 342 Clinton St.
Unable to confirm - appears there was active construction adding traffic calming sidewalks and new signage, so cameras may have been installed after

Performing Arts, 450 Masten Ave. (not available in SV but confirmed by user submitted photos)
[*] Eastbound
[*] Westbound

Academy Middle, 425 South Park
Unable to confirm in 2020 SV

Lewis J. Bennett School, 2885 Main St.
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Harvey Austin School, 1405 Sycamore St.
Unable to confirm - 2018 SV

Canisius High School, 1180 Delaware
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Nichols School, 1250 Amherst Street
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Notre Dame Academy, 1125 Abbott Road
[*] Southbound

St. Joseph University School, 3275 Main Street
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound

Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Children’s Academy, 3149 Bailey Avenue
[*] Northbound
[*] Southbound
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Post by whoaitspete
As of July 2021, the city's Common Council has ended the speed camera program and the cameras are no longer used for enforcement. I will be removing the speed camera warnings from WME today and updating the related wiki pages.

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/buff ... 5f5cb.html
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