Hornell city officials are calling a video surveillance system installed outside the Canisteo Street 7-Eleven store a neighborhood nuisance and a public safety nightmare.
The apparatus includes bright, flashing colored lights − both at the top and near the bottom of the structure − that are clearly visible from the road.
In a Feb. 12 letter to 7-Eleven management, the Hornell Board of Public Safety asked the store to either remove the entire unit from the premises or eliminate all lighting from the structure. The city gave the store a Feb. 20 deadline to respond.
Hornell officials said the mobile video surveillance unit was installed outside the 315 Canisteo St. store in early January.
Multiple cameras are situated to capture video of the comings and goings in the 7-Eleven parking lot and property.
City: Lights are dangerous distraction, pose public safety risk
City officials say the lights create a dangerous distraction for motorists driving in the area, with the intensity and frequency of the flashing throwing off roadway glare.
The setup increases the likelihood of motor vehicle crashes taking place in that area, officials said.
Hornell Mayor John Buckley is quick to point out that the city has no issue with the store surveilling its own property.
“The cameras are not the issue,” Buckley said at a Board of Public Safety session. “Businesses can have whatever camera systems they want to surveil their own premises. The problem is the apparatus has high intensity flashing blue lights. And it has caused consternation in the neighborhood.”
For residents near the store, Buckley said the intermittent flashing is comparable to having an emergency vehicle parked out front overnight, sending bright splashes of light through darkened windows every few moments.
“But also, there is a light down at ground level, or a few feet off the ground. When you drive down Canisteo Street and you come to the stop sign, it’s right there. Pretty much at eye level. And it’s blinding,” Buckley said.
“It’s ridiculous.”
According to the city, they’ve clearly communicated their objections to 7-Eleven, without much effect.
“It seems like they say the right things, they sound like they are going to be cooperative. But it is still flashing at night. They turned off the one at the top but the one at the bottom is still active,” Buckley said.
Hornell warns 7-Eleven it will take action if lights not removed
Because the unit is not operated in partnership with the Hornell Police Department or any emergency service, its current lighting configuration is in violation of state and local safety standards, city officials contend.
The city cites New York state standards that prohibit “flashing or intermittent lights visible from a public roadway … that cause glare or impair the vision of the driver of any motor vehicle.”
The letter also notes that the Board of Public Safety is empowered to address public nuisances, including “any condition that endangers the safety or welfare of the public or seriously interferes with the interest of the public.”
The Board of Public Safety cautioned 7-Eleven that “failure to address this safety hazard may result in further enforcement action as permitted by City Code.”
Store personnel said they are not authorized to comment. An email message sent to 7-Eleven media relations was not immediately answered.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell demands 7-Eleven remove ‘blinding’ surveillance lights
Reporting by Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
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