The NYS Legislature has approved a bill which will allow the City of Rochester to establish a local traffic court.
That according to Mayor Lovely Warren, who says the way it works now, people who get tickets in towns can plead to a lesser charge or sometimes work out a payment plan. But in the city, residents don’t have that option and have to directly pay their fines to the state.
Warren emphasizes if you break the traffic laws, you still have to be held accountable.
“Whatever ticket someone gets, if they break the law, they’re going to have to pay whatever fine it is that they ultimately receive; but we’re just leveling a playing field so that people who receive a ticket in the City of Rochester get the same treatment that they would receive in one of the surrounding towns.”
A city hall spokeswoman says fines would come directly to the city once the new traffic court takes effect, but those funds will also be needed to help pay for administering the court.
It’s expected to take several months to actually set up the new traffic court.
