Judge tosses three I‑490 photo‑enforcement tickets, blasts work‑zone program
- Monroe County Judge Doug Randall threw out three automated work-zone speeding tickets issued to Rochester driver Kent Kroemer on Interstate 490, reversing a city traffic-court loss in an April 8 ruling. - Randall wrote the hearing had “little resemblance to a court proceeding,” said Rochester traffic court offered “barely any evidence,” and found officials improperly shifted the burden of proof onto Kroemer. - The case lands as New York has expanded its work-zone camera pilot through 2031, even after 26,000 I-490 tickets were issued in 25 days. (ny.gov)
A Monroe County judge overturned three Interstate 490 work-zone speeding tickets issued to Rochester driver Kent Kroemer and rebuked the traffic court that upheld them. (whec.com) County Court Judge Doug Randall filed the decision on April 8, 2026, after Kroemer appealed a Rochester city traffic-court loss over tickets issued in fall 2024. (whec.com) Randall wrote that the hearing had “little resemblance to a court proceeding,” cited “barely any evidence,” and said the clerk’s conduct was “clearly inappropriate.” (whec.com) The ruling also said the traffic court “improperly shifted the burden of proof to the defendant” and that the hearing officer “took on the role of the prosecutor.” (whec.com) Those tickets came from New York’s Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program, which uses radar and a camera to record vehicles traveling at or above the posted limit in active work zones. (ny.gov) Under the program, the registered owner gets a mailed notice of liability, with fines set at $50 for a first violation, $75 for a second within 18 months, and $100 after that. (ny.gov) News10NBC reported that 26,000 automated tickets were issued on downtown I-490 in 25 days in fall 2024, and that 239 motorists challenged them in city traffic court. (whec.com) Of those 239 challenges, all but 40 drivers lost, according to the station, and most of the 190 unsuccessful motorists had a 30-day appeal window that has already expired. (whec.com) New York says the camera program is meant to protect highway workers after 450 work-zone intrusions statewide in 2024, including more than 150 injury crashes and four fatalities. (ny.gov) The state expanded the pilot in 2025 through 2031 and doubled the number of eligible work zones, adding Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels and New York State Bridge Authority properties. (ny.gov) For drivers who lost similar I-490 cases, the ruling opened a narrow path: News10NBC said appeals based on a new legal precedent had to be filed by May 8, 2026. (whec.com)
