Buffalo Neighbors Share Frustration Over 198 Speed ​​Camera

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A construction zone along the Scajaquada Expressway is now costing motorists dearly.

Many of you drive on Highway 198 every day, so you may want to watch your speed as a speed camera in a construction zone has been issuing fines to neighbors.

It is part of the automated speed control program in work zones.

The approximately 3-mile corridor, which connects I-190 to Route 33, is a 30 mph speed zone.

The speed limit has been a point of contention for years, as it drops from 50 mph to 30 mph when you enter the highway.

That frustration was echoed Tuesday night by neighbors now facing fines over a camera under the main street overpass.

As you drive down the 198, you may have noticed some construction in the area, maybe even a speed camera or two.

“I got two tickets in one week and you don’t know it until you get them in the mail,” Patrick Freeman said.

Buffalo resident Patrick Freeman told me that driving on Route 198 requires a quick gear change from 50 to 30 miles per hour.

“It goes really quickly to 30 miles per hour, where you have to slow down, but the problem is there’s the Sister’s Hospital exit, then there’s a merge exit to get on the 198. Then the exit I have to take is the Parkside exit. They’re very close together. If you’re in the left lane, you have to speed up to try to get by, and then you slow down again,” Freeman added.

He said he paid for both tickets online but intended to dispute them.

“It cost me $50 per ticket plus a surcharge, which came to $107.50,” Freeman said.

He says the first ticket was bought by one of his children.

The second was Freeman at the wheel.

In one video, his brown Cadillac SUV can be seen driving at 47 mph at a speed of 30 km/h.

Richard James said: “It’s really hard to go from 50 to 30.”

Buffalo resident Richard James takes the 198 westbound about three to four days a week to get to the gym.

Like Freeman, James speaks of a “money scam.”

“What’s striking about this ticket is that it’s not even from New York state. The camera system that’s being used is from Philadelphia. So that was the first red flag,” James said. “I’ve had speeding tickets before. You usually get points on your license. They’re usually over $50. To me, you’re just trying to get money, from the state, of course.”

I spoke with neighbors in Hoyt Lake Tuesday afternoon.

Someone told me that speed cameras were a good thing, but a warning sign would be nice.

“You should reduce the speed from 50 to 45 and then 30, or use warning signs so at least people know that the speed is decreasing,” Soham Shah said.

Mason De Las Alas added: “I think it certainly poses problems, especially if you’re going 55 or 50 and then the speed increases dramatically to 30, realistically to avoid getting a ticket you really have to brake and I think that poses risks to drivers behind you.”

As a former police officer, Freeman adds that the presence of this radar takes away from the compassion that a good law enforcement officer has when enforcing the law.

“That includes vehicle and traffic laws, criminal law. You look at the dimension of the person involved. A camera can’t do that. I haven’t had the same courtesy that I’ve had for residents for 30 and a half years,” Freeman added.

I contacted the New York State Department of Transportation and was told I would receive a statement on Wednesday.