Use common sense with school bus tickets, bad behavior at games, cartoon crosses line

Use common sense with bus citations

I am one of the victims of the school bus camera money grab, on Deer Park Avenue [“Suffolk tosses 8,000 bus camera citations,” News, June 20]. When I called the phone number on the ticket to protest the exact issues written about in the article — four lanes of traffic, a 50 mph speed limit, a large median which would make a child crossing this road to board a bus beyond ridiculous — I was told this is the law.

I paid the fine under protest. I am in my seventies and didn’t want to go to court. However, now I feel that everyone who paid this fee should get a refund, and the Suffolk County Legislature should amend the statute to take into account these types of roadways.

Common sense suggests that preventing accidents in these situations should mitigate any fines. Consider traffic that could not reasonably or safely stop or even be aware of a stopped school bus on a major roadway. Think about Routes 110 or 347 or Sunrise Highway and having to stop for a bus on the opposite side of the road.

I’m glad these situations have been exposed in the articles.

 — Barbara Lorge, Dix Hills

If the school bus camera tickets are purportedly to protect the children, then why do the fines go to the county and a Virginia private enterprise?

If the kids are victims, shouldn’t the fines go to the school district where the offenses took place?

It might even ameliorate the local school taxes a bit.

 — Paul Pepe, Massapequa

The recent articles provide many statistics — potential lost revenue, dollar value of fines collected, number of tickets issued, tickets contested, percentages, etc. Yet the people behind this program maintain the main intent of it is the safety of children.

Have injuries gone up, down or stayed the same? Does the program have any impact on its stated objective? Where are these statistics?

 — Michael Nebel, Moriches

The county has already incurred millions of dollars in expenses from the cyberattack and other pending legal issues, such as a potentially multimillion-dollar payout involving the death of young Thomas Valva.

The county continues to pay lucrative pensions, which can be six figures for vacation and sick-day allowances.

On Father’s Day, I drove out to eastern Long Island and saw no aggressive drivers being ticketed on one of the year’s busiest travel days, so no revenue there. We live in scary times on Long Island roadways.

In 2021 and 2022, nearly 550,000 New York State residents left for greener pastures. What does the future of Long Island look like?

 — Joe Campbell, Port Washington

Bad behavior: This has worked at games

Here’s one solution to the misbehavior of spectators at school sport games [“A soccer referee’s words to remember,” Letters, June 18]:

Before any child can join any team, parents not only sign a permission slip but also an agreement that states if they or their child shows poor sportsmanship by yelling at or berating any player (on either team), or coach, referee or umpire or other spectators, their child would be removed from the team and could not play for the remainder of the school year.

It worked well in a school in the South where we lived for a while — after a few parents and players tested it.

 — Anne Carboni, Manorville

Cartoon deriding ‘left’ buys into conspiracies

One of the political cartoons in the Cartoon Roundup [Opinion, June 15] showed a bird labeled “Left” screaming that “If Trump wins, he’ll do to us what we did to him!” I realize that the editorial board believes in showing both sides of issues. However, when one is printed that buys into unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, the line of journalistic ethics has been crossed.

The “left” didn’t do anything to former President Donald Trump. The cartoon gives credence to right-wing conspiracists who argue, without evidence, that Trump is being targeted for political reasons and not because there is credible evidence of wrongdoing.

That he was not charged with treason for fomenting an insurrection, a capital offense according to the Constitution, shows not a “get Trump agenda” by the “left” but deference. The evidence against Trump is fairly substantial. He did this to himself. No one did it to him.

Blaming the “left” is like a speeder blaming a police officer for getting a ticket.

 — Patrick Flynn, Ridge