Page 8 - Work Force April 2025

‘It’s scary when they’re flying by us’
NIAGARA FALLS — For CSEA members working for the state Department of Transportation in Niagara County, an expansion of the speed camera pilot program would be very welcome.
aren’t passing buses like they used to. If it works for them, it will work on highways.”
In Niagara County, there has been only one test of the speed cameras, near the bridge from the United States to Canada. Jones admitted this was not an adequate test of the speed cameras as it is an area where drivers naturally must slow down.
In general, Jones said he that anything that can be done to protect highway workers is critical.
“On [Interstate] 190, we ask for troopers – drivers don’t even respect the troopers sometimes,” said Jones. “I know if I got a ticket going through
a work zone, I’d slow down for every orange cone I see.”
He related a story in which an angry driver exited his vehicle to confront a flagger who had stopped traffic approaching a work zone. Jones said he approached the motorist and firmly insisted the driver get back into his vehicle. In this case, the motorist complied.
Changes to the laws on assaulting a highway worker would also be very welcome, noted Jones. There
is currently a proposed bill to raise the penalty for assault on a highway worker from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony.
With tourism a main driver in the county’s economy, the number of cars on the state roadways sees an uptick, which also means an increase in work zone incidents and road rage.
“People don’t move over, and they don’t pay attention,” said Crawley. “You see them on their cell phones not paying attention. We had one
of our attenuators get hit because someone wasn’t paying attention.” Crawley said that having New
York State Police assigned to a work zone deters speeding, but even when police are present, incidents still occur.
“We get the middle finger. We get cars stopped in the middle of the highway,” said Crawley. “I’ve
“Drivers don’t really respect us. When a stretch of road says 65 miles per hour, drivers want to go 65 miles per hour,” said Jones. “It’s scary when they’re flying by us.”
Jones said he welcomes expanding the speed camera program as well as proposed changed to the penalties.
“I like these [proposals],” he said. “We need help and I don’t want to get beat up at work.”
— Mathew L. Cantore and Sara McNicholas
seen cars hit our stop paddles. I’ve seen a lot of road rage. Having the state troopers with us does help, but they’re not able to be with us everywhere.”
Our union’s continued lobbying efforts for highway safety have made a difference, Crawley said, but he also feels that increased penalties won’t make an impact unless public awareness increases.
“We need to educate people,” said Crawley. “This should be on billboards. It should be on the back of the trucks. You have some people who don’t care, but a lot of people haven’t been educated and that needs to change.”
“You can’t go past a school
bus now without being caught on camera,” said CSEA Niagara DOT Local President Jimmy Jones. “If you do, you get a ticket in the mail. A lot of people
Jones
Crawley: ‘One life is too many’
MONTICELLO — In his 13 years working for the state Department of Transportation, CSEA Sullivan County DOT Local President Jimmy Crawley has seen distracted driving and road rage progressively worsen every year.
Crawley
Program, double available work zone cameras, and increase fines for speeding in work zones.
“I’m 100 percent on board,” said Crawley, a highway maintenance supervisor 1. “The way I look at it, one life [lost] is too many. If we can use our voice as a union to get these measures passed, it will benefit everyone who works on our roads.”
Like other members of our union family across the state, DOT workers in Sullivan County are constantly
on guard while working on state highways and secondary roads. Just as roadwork season is kicking into gear in Sullivan County, the county’s population undergoes a seasonal spike as visitors from New York City and surrounding areas arrive.
Crawley strongly supports our union’s lobbying efforts to expand resources to keep workers safe
on the job and increase penalties
for careless drivers, backing the proposed state budget measures to expand the Work Zone Speed Camera
— Jessica Ladlee
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8 The Work Force
April 2025