Anyone know if they've got speed cameras on I-81 or I-68?
Deciding how to drive to NH this summer...thanks for your help.
I don't know about the freeways but this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191128/Maryland-welcomes-stealth-speed-cameras-disguised-mailboxes-rake-revenue.html?ito=feeds-newsxml) article published today shows how stealth cameras are being set up disguised as mailboxes in Montgomery and Prince George Counties, MD and are raking in lots of $ :banghead:
Maryland state law allows speed cameras in work zones and in school zones. The law requires that you be allowed a 12-mph tolerance and there must be a "conspicuous" sign for a work zone that's photo-enforced.
I don't know whether there are any work zones right now on either I-81 or I-68, but the easiest thing to do is just to make sure you don't go 12 mph over the speed limit in any work zone in Maryland. Err on the slower side in case your speedometer is slightly off (also, I don't trust them to calibrate the cameras correctly).
Quote from: Truvelo on August 21, 2012, 02:55:01 PM
I don't know about the freeways but this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2191128/Maryland-welcomes-stealth-speed-cameras-disguised-mailboxes-rake-revenue.html?ito=feeds-newsxml) article published today shows how stealth cameras are being set up disguised as mailboxes in Montgomery and Prince George Counties, MD and are raking in lots of $ :banghead:
How long before we start seeing these get either a little bit of paint, or perhaps even the gasoline-filled tire treatment?
:hmmm:
Mike
Quote from: 1995hoo on August 21, 2012, 03:53:48 PM
Maryland state law allows speed cameras in work zones and in school zones. The law requires that you be allowed a 12-mph tolerance and there must be a "conspicuous" sign for a work zone that's photo-enforced.
I don't know whether there are any work zones right now on either I-81 or I-68, but the easiest thing to do is just to make sure you don't go 12 mph over the speed limit in any work zone in Maryland. Err on the slower side in case your speedometer is slightly off (also, I don't trust them to calibrate the cameras correctly).
From what I've seen in the news and on the program's website, there are no cameras on I-68 or I-81. However, there will be cameras shortly on I-70 west of Hagerstown. In addition, there will eventually be construction in Cumberland on I-68 that I expect would be a candidate as well.
Well according to the DOT there will be two cameras on I-70 west of Hagerstown, beginning this fall, for two separate construction zones (though they are not very far apart).
Baltimore Sun: Circuit judge rules Baltimore Co. speed camera contract is illegal -
Ruling could help others challenge citations in court (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/owings-mills/bs-md-speed-camera-ruling-20130305,0,2665635.story)
QuoteA Circuit Court judge has ruled that Baltimore County's contract with its speed camera vendor is illegal, because it pays the company a cut of each citation issued – a ruling that could help others challenge their citations in court.
QuoteWhile Judge Susan Souder's ruling dismissed only a single speed camera ticket, the opinion is believed to be the first time a judge has ruled against the legality of the so-called "bounty system," one of the most controversial elements of the law.
QuoteThe ruling could help other motorists fight speed camera tickets, even though it has no direct effect on other cases, said John A. Lynch Jr., a professor and associate dean at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Baltimore Sun: Mayor's task force recommends speed camera reforms -
Restricted media access urged for future panels (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-ci-speed-camera-transition-20130320,0,4068755.story)
QuoteA task force studying Baltimore's troubled speed camera program will urge the city to increase oversight, change the way camera sites are selected and create a website containing maps and other information of interest to the public, according to draft recommendations released Wednesday.
QuoteA final report is expected to be presented in the next two weeks to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who formed the task force last summer.
Quote"It's going to help us make a better program," acting Transportation Director Frank Murphy said. "We all want this to be a very successful program. We want it to be accurate and effective. We think these things will help us do that."
Baltimore Sun: House to take up speed camera reform bill - Measure would require more oversight, but grandfather 'bounty' contracts (http://www.baltimoresun.com/mobile/maryland/politics/bs-md-speed-camera-house-bill-20130402,0,2647795.story)
WTOP Radio: More areas consider using fake speed cameras (http://www.wtop.com/654/3284194/Md-city-dupes-drivers-with-faux-speed-cameras)
QuoteLAUREL, Md. - In a new twist on speed cameras, the City of Laurel introduced two fake cameras this week.
QuoteIn a story first reported by NBC 4, the two decoy boxes look just like the real cameras with police logos, except there is no actual camera inside.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 13, 2013, 08:08:38 PM
WTOP Radio: More areas consider using fake speed cameras (http://www.wtop.com/654/3284194/Md-city-dupes-drivers-with-faux-speed-cameras)
QuoteLAUREL, Md. - In a new twist on speed cameras, the City of Laurel introduced two fake cameras this week.
QuoteIn a story first reported by NBC 4, the two decoy boxes look just like the real cameras with police logos, except there is no actual camera inside.
Is that really significantly cheaper than using real cameras? Because if not, then I don't see the point of it.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on April 14, 2013, 01:25:03 PM
Is that really significantly cheaper than using real cameras? Because if not, then I don't see the point of it.
The City of Alexandria, Virginia (across the Potomac River from Prince George's County, where Laurel is located) has used (mostly) dummy
red light camera units for many years, apparently to save some money while still encouraging compliance.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 14, 2013, 02:42:33 PM
The City of Alexandria, Virginia (across the Potomac River from Prince George's County, where Laurel is located) has used (mostly) dummy red light camera units for many years, apparently to save some money while still encouraging compliance.
Isn't automated enforcement not permitted in VA?
Quote from: NJRoadfan on April 14, 2013, 02:52:44 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 14, 2013, 02:42:33 PM
The City of Alexandria, Virginia (across the Potomac River from Prince George's County, where Laurel is located) has used (mostly) dummy red light camera units for many years, apparently to save some money while still encouraging compliance.
Isn't automated enforcement not permitted in VA?
It is permitted. Virginia Beach and Newport News love red light cameras.
I actually like the idea of dummy cameras better than real cameras because they don't make a boatload of cash for the municipality while still encouraging compliance, but I don't see how they're better for the municipality, because they still cost some money to install and maintain (albeit less than a real camera) but they don't bring in any revenue.
There's actually quite a bit of overhead to processing the tickets; many cities with red light camera contracts actually lose money on them due to the large cut the camera companies take.
Quote from: vdeane on April 14, 2013, 05:43:21 PM
There's actually quite a bit of overhead to processing the tickets; many cities with red light camera contracts actually lose money on them due to the large cut the camera companies take.
I am not enthusiastic about private companies being in the business of law enforcement, including automated enforcement. Seems to me that this is a "natural" public-sector job.
Quote from: NJRoadfan on April 14, 2013, 02:52:44 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 14, 2013, 02:42:33 PM
The City of Alexandria, Virginia (across the Potomac River from Prince George's County, where Laurel is located) has used (mostly) dummy red light camera units for many years, apparently to save some money while still encouraging compliance.
Isn't automated enforcement not permitted in VA?
Red light camera enforcement devices are allowed with certain conditions.
Speed cameras are forbidden across the entire Commonwealth.
Baltimore Sun: City suspends speed camera tickets amid new mistakes - Citations based on 25 mph limit when it is really 30 mph (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-speed-camera-new-errors-20130416,0,819517.story)
Baltimore Sun: City in $2 million dispute with Xerox over camera tickets - Officials withhold payment for final three months of contract (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-xerox-dispute-20130424,0,7438966.story)
Chicago Tribune: Xerox picked for red light camera program (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-chicago-red-light-xerox-0814-20130814,0,6026913.story)
QuoteA traffic camera company that lost its Baltimore contract earlier this year after acknowledging that its faulty equipment resulted in thousands of erroneous speeding tickets was named Tuesday as the preferred bidder to take over Chicago's scandal-ridden red light camera program.
Xerox State & Local Solutions Inc., based in Maryland, was picked unanimously by a seven-member selection committee in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration, which will now enter contract negotiations with the company, the mayor's office said in an email to the Tribune.
Xerox would replace the city's current vendor, which is embroiled in a federal bribery investigation at City Hall following Tribune reports about an improper relationship between the city official who oversaw the $300 million program and executives of the company, Arizona-based Redflex Traffic Systems Inc.
gosh, how far has Xerox fallen from a company whose products could be used to make good old honest American counterfeit currency?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 14, 2013, 10:50:49 AM
gosh, how far has Xerox fallen from a company whose products could be used to make good old honest American counterfeit currency?
Xerox through some key mergers has become "bloated government contractor". They don't have the market share they used to in copiers anymore. Most folks go with companies that actually service people these days.
Baltimore Sun: Mayor says speed cameras still not ready to issue tickets (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-ci-speed-cameras-srb-20131030,0,6032717.story)
QuoteSix months after Baltimore pulled its speed cameras offline amid accuracy concerns, the city's vendor still isn't ready to begin issuing tickets, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday.
QuoteRawlings-Blake said the city does not have a date when it will resurrect the program, which was North America's largest with more than 150 speed and red light cameras.
Quote"We want to make sure when they go back online, they go back online with accuracy, efficiency and consistency," Rawlings-Blake said. "The current vendor is not there yet."
Baltimore Sun: Citywide accident rates rise during era of speed cameras -
But Baltimore officials point out strong results in areas around devices (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-sun-investigates-accident-stats-20131111,0,2853133.story)
QuoteBaltimore experienced a nearly 5 percent increase in traffic accidents from 2009 to 2012 – a four-year span during which the city rolled out and ramped up its network of now-idle speed cameras, according to state police.
QuoteAccidents rose from 19,792 in 2009 to 20,718 in 2012, the city's highest total in nine years. Over those four years the city issued more than 1.5 million of the $40 tickets, with a stated purpose of improving safety by getting drivers to slow down in areas around schools.
QuoteCity transportation spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes played down the increase. She noted that crashes fell from 2009 to 2010 (by almost 4 percent), before rising. Speed camera enforcement began in November 2009, making 2010 the first full year with cameras. Barnes also said yearly city figures have not fluctuated much over the past 10 years.
QuoteBarnes also pointed to an analysis last December of six intersections with speed cameras and high accident rates. From 2009 to 2011, the number of accidents fell at each intersection, with decreases ranging from 3 percent to 42 percent. Barnes did not provide last year's figures.
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore moving to end latest speed camera contract -
Brekford Corp. system still making mistakes, city says (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-cameras-brekford-20131116,0,2708536.story)
QuoteIn the latest sign of turmoil for Baltimore's speed camera program, city officials are moving to sever ties with the vendor amid unresolved problems – an action that could idle the city's already mothballed speed and red-light camera system until the middle of next year.
QuoteSources familiar with discussions between the city and Brekford Corp. of Anne Arundel County said officials have grown increasingly frustrated with Brekford's mistakes in trying to revive the program, once North America's largest and the source of $50 million to the city since 2009 from speed cameras alone.
QuoteTests by the city have shown that 11 months after Brekford took over, the system is still troubled by inaccurate speed readings, incorrect addresses and tickets listing wrong information on how to pay a citation, city officials have said. Now officials are working to end the five-year contract, the sources said.
^^ I think the takeaway message here is not to use these cameras in the first place.
Quote from: Brandon on November 18, 2013, 01:52:56 PM
^^ I think the takeaway message here is not to use these cameras in the first place.
Baltimore City, in spite of generous subsidies from Maryland taxpayer statewide, has an absolutely insatiable appetite for revenue, and automated speed limit enforcement has been a source of big money over the past several years.
The city will keep looking for a vendor that can do automated speed enforcement until it finds one. No way is the city going to give up such a bountiful revenue source (much of it collected from non-city residents).
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 18, 2013, 02:29:27 PM
Quote from: Brandon on November 18, 2013, 01:52:56 PM
^^ I think the takeaway message here is not to use these cameras in the first place.
Baltimore City, in spite of generous subsidies from Maryland taxpayer statewide, has an absolutely insatiable appetite for revenue, and automated speed limit enforcement has been a source of big money over the past several years.
The city will keep looking for a vendor that can do automated speed enforcement until it finds one. No way is the city going to give up such a bountiful revenue source (much of it collected from non-city residents).
Try and try as they might, the cameras themselves are inaccurate and not wholly reliable (I've seen red light cameras snapping photographs of vehicles going through green lights as an example). It may be cheaper for Baltimore to stop where they are instead of continually opening themselves up to potential lawsuits (like the ones they've already lost) whereby they may spend more money than they take in as revenue. Chicago's doing the same thing right now, and I foresee where they will get into trouble the same way (with Baltimore's former vendor) as Baltimore has. Sometimes it's wiser to keep the lawsuit door closed.
WTOP Radio: Drivers' videos show Morningside speed-camera problems (http://www.wtop.com/1319/3512254/Speed-camera-glitch-captured-on-videos)
QuoteMORNINGSIDE, Md. - A WTOP Ticketbuster investigation has uncovered serious questions about the accuracy of a speed camera on Suitland Road in Morningside, Md.
QuoteThe revelation comes from two videos shot by drivers inside their cars. Steven Johnson, of Upper Marlboro, and Mike Weathersby, of Morningside, shared the videos exclusively with WTOP. Both had been suspicious about the cameras and wanted to record evidence.
QuoteWeathersby shot his video on Aug. 14 while driving past the 6800 Suitland Road South camera at 7:18 p.m.
Quote"You see the camera in the video, you'll see my clock on the dashboard, you'll see my speedometer and you'll plainly see it's at 30 miles per hour. You'll also hear WTOP on in the background. And I got the ticket that said 44 miles per hour," says Weathersby. "But the video shows me going 30 miles per hour. How can you dispute it? It's video. It isn't edited; it just shows me going past the camera and it shows my speed on the speedometer."
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 25, 2013, 09:43:16 AM
WTOP Radio: Drivers' videos show Morningside speed-camera problems (http://www.wtop.com/1319/3512254/Speed-camera-glitch-captured-on-videos)
QuoteMORNINGSIDE, Md. - A WTOP Ticketbuster investigation has uncovered serious questions about the accuracy of a speed camera on Suitland Road in Morningside, Md.
QuoteThe revelation comes from two videos shot by drivers inside their cars. Steven Johnson, of Upper Marlboro, and Mike Weathersby, of Morningside, shared the videos exclusively with WTOP. Both had been suspicious about the cameras and wanted to record evidence.
QuoteWeathersby shot his video on Aug. 14 while driving past the 6800 Suitland Road South camera at 7:18 p.m.
Quote"You see the camera in the video, you'll see my clock on the dashboard, you'll see my speedometer and you'll plainly see it's at 30 miles per hour. You'll also hear WTOP on in the background. And I got the ticket that said 44 miles per hour," says Weathersby. "But the video shows me going 30 miles per hour. How can you dispute it? It's video. It isn't edited; it just shows me going past the camera and it shows my speed on the speedometer."
Sounds like someone sped past the cameras, then turned around, tuned the radio, turned his cell phone video recorder on, then calmly drove by the camera again (a few minutes' time different wouldn't be relevent).
I'm sure a close look at his video, vs. the speed camera video, would reveal if his car was driving in the same spot in the lane, as well as the same vehicles before & after him, as well as opposing traffic.
I'm thinking with the dire budget situations in municipalities, states, and feds, law enforcement operations that CAN be automated WILL be automated.
Two officers in a car is expensive, and technology gets cheaper everyday.
The flip side of the red light and speed camera issue is nobody wants to pay higher taxes for ever increasing municipal budgets, but we won't tolerate chaos on the roads either.
I don't know about elsewhere, but a local city has stop light cameras, THERE ARE SIGNS warning of their presence, they are STATIONARY, and they still catch people all day long.
Under those conditions, I am thinking folks caught in that town don't need to be driving and endangering me if they are that insulated and unaware of their surroundings. And if there are cheaper ways of zapping them back into minimal levels of consciousness, I am in favor of it.
Put down the cheeseburger, hang up the phone, drop the lipstick, turn off the Ipad, and drive your farking car!
I could not believe also what I saw twice. People drinking beer in the car while in motion. One time in Clearwater, FL and the other was in Orlando. I cannot remember in both cases if it was the driver, but I do know for sure it was the driver at least one of the two instances.
If that can happen, then cell phones sure can. In fact more as there are more users than drinkers. It irks me all the time when someone who nearly hits me, is on that darned phone in one form or another.
Quote from: Jardine on November 25, 2013, 10:58:45 AM
I'm thinking with the dire budget situations in municipalities, states, and feds, law enforcement operations that CAN be automated WILL be automated.
Two officers in a car is expensive, and technology gets cheaper everyday.
And the Town of Morningside is a small place (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=morningside+md&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=np&hnear=Morningside,+Prince+George%27s,+Maryland&gl=us&t=m&z=14), and I don't believe they ever have more than one or maybe two officers on-duty. Suitland Road through the town has long been a place where speed limit compliance is wise - long before automated enforcement (though in Maryland, it could not really be called a speed trap, because fine revenue from moving violations has for years gone to the state, not to the municipality or county that wrote the ticket).
Quote from: Jardine on November 25, 2013, 10:58:45 AM
The flip side of the red light and speed camera issue is nobody wants to pay higher taxes for ever increasing municipal budgets, but we won't tolerate chaos on the roads either.
Morningside gets "out of town" traffic from the federal Suitland Parkway on its north side, and I-95/I-495 and Joint Base Andrews on the south side. Those are the people that are likely to get burned by the speed cameras. Unfortunately, state law in Maryland allows counties and municipalities to keep the revenue from automated enforcement - IMO, that is wrong.
Quote from: Jardine on November 25, 2013, 10:58:45 AM
I don't know about elsewhere, but a local city has stop light cameras, THERE ARE SIGNS warning of their presence, they are STATIONARY, and they still catch people all day long.
I
like red light automated enforcement. Running a red light can have fatal consequences.
Quote from: Jardine on November 25, 2013, 10:58:45 AM
Under those conditions, I am thinking folks caught in that town don't need to be driving and endangering me if they are that insulated and unaware of their surroundings. And if there are cheaper ways of zapping them back into minimal levels of consciousness, I am in favor of it.
An automated ticket, at least for now, has no impact on a driving record, and the insurance companies cannot find out about them. So in that sense they are "cheap."
Quote from: Jardine on November 25, 2013, 10:58:45 AM
Put down the cheeseburger, hang up the phone, drop the lipstick, turn off the Ipad, and drive your farking car!
And there is a McDonald's on the corner of Suitland Road and Md. 337 (Allentown Road) (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=suitland+road+%26+allentown+road,+morningside+md&hl=en&ll=38.821471,-76.886154&spn=0.004087,0.007929&sll=38.821151,-76.886649&layer=c&cbp=13,281.53,,0,9.24&cbll=38.821502,-76.886103&gl=us&hnear=Allentown+Rd+%26+Suitland+Rd,+Morningside,+Prince+George%27s,+Maryland+20746&t=m&z=17&panoid=sbHduHeF8cOQ3EDKSbdoaw) on the south edge of Morningside that sells plenty of fatburgers.
In the image you will see the remains of a red light camera setup, which
I believe was shut-down (perhaps because it was not generating enough revenue).
Quote from: jeffandnicole on November 25, 2013, 10:32:32 AM
Sounds like someone sped past the cameras, then turned around, tuned the radio, turned his cell phone video recorder on, then calmly drove by the camera again (a few minutes' time different wouldn't be relevent).
I'm sure a close look at his video, vs. the speed camera video, would reveal if his car was driving in the same spot in the lane, as well as the same vehicles before & after him, as well as opposing traffic.
If you
really want to prove that a speed camera is improperly calibrated, I think you need a dash cam that records the speed and the latitude and longitude as the car drives along (such units are commonly used by law enforcement).
Further proof that slower speeds do sometimes lead to more accidents.
Quote from: Indyroads on November 26, 2013, 09:47:14 PM
Further proof that slower speeds do sometimes lead to more accidents.
That's like saying the existence of black people leads to racism. It's the fault of those driving too fast/too closely/etc.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 25, 2013, 12:31:18 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on November 25, 2013, 10:32:32 AM
Sounds like someone sped past the cameras, then turned around, tuned the radio, turned his cell phone video recorder on, then calmly drove by the camera again (a few minutes' time different wouldn't be relevent).
I'm sure a close look at his video, vs. the speed camera video, would reveal if his car was driving in the same spot in the lane, as well as the same vehicles before & after him, as well as opposing traffic.
If you really want to prove that a speed camera is improperly calibrated, I think you need a dash cam that records the speed and the latitude and longitude as the car drives along (such units are commonly used by law enforcement).
How's this for calibration? A speeding warning from a speed camera in Chicago was sent to the owner of a car, an obviously parked car.
Speed camera system flags a parked car (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-speed-camera-system-flags-parked-car-promo-20131127,0,2596112.story)
QuoteOn a Friday night in October, Megan Kasten parked her car for five minutes on Augusta Boulevard near Humboldt Park while she picked up a friend to go see a movie.
A month later, Kasten said she got a warning notice in the mail for speeding past the Northwest Side park at 37 miles per hour, a violation recorded by one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's new speed cameras.
In the image, her car is obviously parked in the parking lane.
Then, behind the paywall,
Speed camera system flags a parked car (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-speed-camera-parked-car-met-20131128,0,911875,full.story)
QuoteThe initial ATS decision is reviewed next by an employee of the city Finance Department, as required under state law. Violations are sent for a final review to another city vendor, IBM. An IBM employee also examines the images and checks records to determine whether a warning or ticket should go out, Kubly said.
But warnings issued during a camera's grace period are reviewed only twice – by ATS and IBM – and not by a city employee, Kubly said. So in the case of Kasten's errant warning, both ATS and IBM employees incorrectly reviewed the speed camera images, Kubly said.
Evidence, IMHO, of a flawed system with the potential for both abuse and fraud. Mostly due to this,
QuoteEmanuel is counting on $70 million in speed camera revenue for 2014, although some aldermen have estimated that the amount will be much higher.
If you're depending on speed cameras to plug holes in your budget, you have major problems.
I'm not a fan of the speed cameras, but I have to say that the way Maryland implements them is relatively fair.
The cameras exist right after signs saying "Speed Limit XX -Photo Enforced"
The cameras allow you to drive up to 11 mph over the limit without receiving a ticket
The cameras exist on major highways only where there is road construction (operable 24 hours a day, not just when the road crews are out)
Outside of Montgomery County, the cameras on surface streets only exist in school zones (Unfortunately I'm in Montgomery County and the cameras can be anywhere)
The fines aren't terribly high and no points are added.
However, in DC, there is definitely a gotcha system with these cameras. Cameras are posted on I-395 and I-295, a much lower speed is allowed and the fines are much higher.
Baltimore Sun: AAA calls on counties to audit speed camera programs - Baltimore councilman calls for hearing on secret audit that detailed high error rates (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-camera-audit-follow-20140123,0,22618.story)
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 24, 2014, 06:42:54 PM
Baltimore Sun: AAA calls on counties to audit speed camera programs - Baltimore councilman calls for hearing on secret audit that detailed high error rates (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-camera-audit-follow-20140123,0,22618.story)
If they have a 10% error rate, and some of these cameras have 45-58% error rates, then the system should be removed immediately. Anything else is basically fraud. In fact, I suggest that anyone who got a ticket should start a class-action lawsuit against these counties and municipalities using the cameras, as well as the owners/operators of the systems, and sue them for fraud.
Quote from: Brandon on January 24, 2014, 06:58:20 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 24, 2014, 06:42:54 PM
Baltimore Sun: AAA calls on counties to audit speed camera programs - Baltimore councilman calls for hearing on secret audit that detailed high error rates (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-camera-audit-follow-20140123,0,22618.story)
If they have a 10% error rate, and some of these cameras have 45-58% error rates, then the system should be removed immediately. Anything else is basically fraud. In fact, I suggest that anyone who got a ticket should start a class-action lawsuit against these counties and municipalities using the cameras, as well as the owners/operators of the systems, and sue them for fraud.
All of that requires an attorney well-versed in such class-action lawsuits.
But what a person ticketed can do (at least in most jurisdictions) is to challenge the ticket in court. That's not the same as a class-action suit, but it seems to me that doing so (and willing) will tend to build a legal record against all such tickets - which might be used down the line in a class-action suit.
Baltimore Sun: Arizona firm lobbying to run Baltimore's speed cameras -
'Show me some love,' lobbyist asks deputy mayor (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bal-arizona-firm-lobbying-to-run-baltimores-speed-cameras-20140310,0,6225118.story)
QuoteA major speed and red light camera company is lobbying city government to take over the city's once-lucrative traffic camera system, records show.
QuoteThroughout 2013, Arizona-based speed camera firm American Traffic Solutions Inc. spent $25,000 lobbying city government in hopes of winning a new traffic camera contract after the city shut the system down in April amid accuracy concerns.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on March 11, 2014, 11:22:00 AM
Baltimore Sun: Arizona firm lobbying to run Baltimore's speed cameras - 'Show me some love,' lobbyist asks deputy mayor (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bal-arizona-firm-lobbying-to-run-baltimores-speed-cameras-20140310,0,6225118.story)
QuoteA major speed and red light camera company is lobbying city government to take over the city's once-lucrative traffic camera system, records show.
QuoteThroughout 2013, Arizona-based speed camera firm American Traffic Solutions Inc. spent $25,000 lobbying city government in hopes of winning a new traffic camera contract after the city shut the system down in April amid accuracy concerns.
The video of the guy getting one for waiting at a red signal is priceless.
ATS is also the bunch of bozos who gave a ticket for speeding to a parked car (see above) in Chicago.
WJZ-TV (13): Maryland General Assembly Passes New Speed Camera Regulations (http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/04/04/maryland-passes-new-regulations-in-way-jurisdictions-operate-speed-cameras/)
QuoteThere are some changes ahead in the way Maryland jurisdictions operate speed cameras. The General Assembly passes new regulations.
QuoteIf every flash means $40, it's easy to see how local governments rake in millions on speed cameras. Companies getting a cut on each ticket call into question the accuracy of the cameras.
Quote"I know for a fact I wasn't speeding on any of them," Michael Weathersby said.
QuoteWeathersby's story helped convince the General Assembly that more oversight is needed on speed camera operations. After lots of questions, lawmakers decided to eliminate the bounty—no more per-ticket payments to companies. Operators with error rates in excess of five percent will be fined. Improvements have been made in the appeal process, with a person to make sure the tickets are legitimate.
Washington Post: Maryland tightens law on speed cameras (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/06/01/maryland-tightens-law-on-speed-cameras/)
[
Emphasis added below]
QuoteThese are the key provisions:
QuoteA government must ensure that citations issued using cameras are sworn to by law enforcement officers.
QuoteThe contractors responsible for the cameras can't receive payments based on the number of tickets issued by their cameras.
QuoteA contractor must pay damages if more than 5 percent of the camera tickets are issued erroneously.
QuoteA school zone speed limit must be at least 20 mph to have a camera.
QuoteBefore activating a speed camera, the local jurisdiction must ensure that each sign designating a school zone is near a sign warning of the speed camera's use. When a camera is installed at a new location and the signs set up, the camera can issue only warnings for the first 15 days of operation.
QuoteA jurisdiction using speed cameras must designate an employee to act as a sort of ombudsman for people who complain about citations. If the employee determines the ticket was issued in error, the employee can void the citation. (This is in addition to the District Court review, which is still available to people who get speed camera citations.)
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 02, 2014, 02:56:56 AM
Washington Post: Maryland tightens law on speed cameras (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/06/01/maryland-tightens-law-on-speed-cameras/)
[Emphasis added below]
QuoteThese are the key provisions:
QuoteThe contractors responsible for the cameras can't receive payments based on the number of tickets issued by their cameras.
QuoteA contractor must pay damages if more than 5 percent of the camera tickets are issued erroneously.
Those two will effectively kill speed cameras. I'd be willing to bet there are very few, if any, new installations after this goes into effect. The whole scheme is profit-based for the crooks..er..companies involved.
Hate to say it but even so the number of camera sites around Baltimore construction zones continues to increase. A camera site was just set up on I-695 near I-795, the camera zone was extended north in the ETL work area on I-95 (now north of White Marsh), and cameras will soon be set up around I-395 where the elevated roadway on I-95 is being resurfaced.
Baltimore Sun editorial: Smaller is better (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-speed-cameras-20141208-story.html)
QuoteA Baltimore City Council investigative committee looking into the city's problem-plagued speed- and red light-camera program has discovered what should have been obvious all along: That the now suspended system was far too big to be managed efficiently, that it was set up too quickly by the companies contracted to install and operate the equipment and that it didn't have enough qualified staff to monitor all the errors in the avalanche of tickets it issued.
QuoteGiven the magnitude of all those compounded problems it's no wonder the system failed. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she wants to resurrect the program next year with a system less prone to error, but if that's true it's long been clear what the blueprint of a better program should look like. The city needs a smaller, more narrowly targeted effort whose primary mission is making city roads and highways safer for motorists and pedestrians, not one primarily aimed at generating additional revenues for the municipal coffers.
QuoteWhy it's taking so long for that to happen is a mystery. Mayor Rawlings-Blake says she's waiting until a City Council investigation is complete before moving forward, but so far, that investigation has told us nothing we did not already know. A recent city Inspector General's report accusing the mayor's former chief of staff of attempting to steer a speed camera contract to a particular vendor doesn't change matters either. The city didn't choose that vendor, and the official in question has since left city government.
Baltimore Sun: Xerox says city police share responsibility for speed camera errors (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-cam-update-20141217-story.html)
QuoteManagers from Baltimore's former speed camera vendor Xerox State & Local Solutions defended their actions Wednesday before a City Council committee investigating what went wrong with the city's system, which has been shut down for more than a year after issuing erroneous tickets.
QuoteSenior Vice President Allen Shutt acknowledged some of his company's employees got "a little sloppy" in how they approved tickets in 2012, but he said Baltimore's Police Department shared responsibility for issuing bogus tickets.
Quote"This is critically important: Only a law enforcement officer can issue a citation," Shutt said. "No citation can be issued without police approval."
Baltimore Sun: Even with speed cameras off, no pedestrians injured in school zones (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-speed-cam-stats-20141218-story.html)
QuoteCity officials say Baltimore's speed camera system was designed to protect children walking in school zones. And indeed, no pedestrians were injured in school-zone crashes the last year the cameras operated.
QuoteBut there also were no pedestrian injuries in school zones the year the extensive camera system was shut down.
QuoteAccording to Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration data, no pedestrians were injured by vehicles in city school zones in 2012 or 2013. In 2012, Baltimore had 83 speed cameras monitoring motorists and generating millions of dollars in revenue. In 2013, Baltimore's speed cameras were turned off for all but about three weeks. They have not been turned on since.
FYI, it looks like Xerox now uses Ford Escape SUVs for work zone cameras (still white). Every work zone on the Beltway I passed through yesterday had camera vehicles partially hidden by porta-potties.
Quote from: MASTERNC on December 24, 2014, 11:29:46 AM
FYI, it looks like Xerox now uses Ford Escape SUVs for work zone cameras (still white). Every work zone on the Beltway I passed through yesterday had camera vehicles partially hidden by porta-potties.
They were using Jeeps for those cameras.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 21, 2014, 11:18:59 AM
Baltimore Sun: Even with speed cameras off, no pedestrians injured in school zones (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/sun-investigates/bs-md-speed-cam-stats-20141218-story.html)
QuoteCity officials say Baltimore's speed camera system was designed to protect children walking in school zones. And indeed, no pedestrians were injured in school-zone crashes the last year the cameras operated.
QuoteBut there also were no pedestrian injuries in school zones the year the extensive camera system was shut down.
QuoteAccording to Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration data, no pedestrians were injured by vehicles in city school zones in 2012 or 2013. In 2012, Baltimore had 83 speed cameras monitoring motorists and generating millions of dollars in revenue. In 2013, Baltimore's speed cameras were turned off for all but about three weeks. They have not been turned on since.
Then just end the program as it (like Chicago's red light camera program) accomplished nothing.
These damnable things should illegal to use nationally.
WTOP Radio: Man arrested for damaging speed camera van in Howard County (http://wtop.com/howard-county/2015/01/man-arrested-damaging-speed-camera-van-howard-county/)
QuoteA local man was arrested in Howard County after he shot a BB gun at a speed camera van near an elementary school in December.
QuoteAbraham Naveed Quraishi, a 20-year-old Ellicott City resident, has been charged with second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property, according to Howard County Police.
Baltimore Sun: City Council report blasts speed camera program (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-camera-council-20150601-story.html)
QuoteThe City Council released a sharply critical assessment Monday of Baltimore's once-lucrative speed camera system, faulting the program's enormous size and lack of oversight.
Quote"Don't build a program if you can't operate it. That message was sent loudly and clearly throughout our investigation," said City Councilman James B. Kraft, who led the probe.
Quote"In hindsight," Kraft said, "virtually everyone agrees the program was too big, the Department of Transportation did not have proper personnel to handle it, and too few people were assigned to its operation."
QuoteDespite the concerns, the Rawlings-Blake administration said Monday it still plans to move ahead with a smaller speed camera program – and this week will issue a request for proposals to do the work. Officials pledged better oversight, and said the system will not feature controversial "bounty" payments to vendors based on the number of citations issued.
Quote"We have been clear that a program is needed to improve safety on our roadways, particularly in areas near and around schools where many children are present," said William Johnson, the transportation department director. "The department will now work aggressively to incorporate these reforms and reinstitute a manageable program that is efficient and maintains the trust of Baltimore City residents."
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore City seeks bidders for new red light, speed camera program (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-cameras-20160121-story.html)
QuoteBaltimore transportation officials on Thursday announced plans to revive a new red light and speed camera system.
QuoteThe city will release a request for proposals Friday for 10 red light cameras, 10 fixed speed cameras, and ten portable systems. Department of Transportation Director William Johnson said the new program will include multiple safeguards to ensure the integrity of the tickets issued.
QuoteThis will be the city's third program after two failed attempts that led motorists to receive erroneous tickets. The city's speed camera system, which was run for years by Xerox State & Local Solutions and briefly by Brekford Corp., was shut down in April 2013.
QuoteThe company selected would be paid a flat rate for each camera, instead of the previous "bounty system," which paid the vendor per citation. Johnson said the city will require a new vendor to provide the equipment, and at least 95 percent accuracy in the tickets issues.
Baltimore Sun: Howard county speed cameras raise record revenue, seen as 'effective' safety tool (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-speed-cameras-0421-20160416-story.html)
QuoteSpeed cameras in school zones in Howard County reeled in $8.7 million from paid citations and a record $251,000 in revenue last year, according to the Police Department, which hailed the program and red light cameras throughout the county as an effective tool to increase safety.
Quote"It continues to be a model program," said Howard County Police Chief Gary Gardner.
QuoteRevenue from the speed camera program has increased sixfold between 2013 and 2015, according to police data. The increase is in part due to the addition of two portable camera units in late 2013; between 2014 and 2015, revenue jumped by 52 percent. The Police Department indicated the two additional cameras and a reduction in the third-party vendor's processing fees resulted in the increase.
Wall Street Journal (
paywalled - if you cannot see the full article, PM me with an e-mail address and I will send a link to it): Traffic Cameras: Safety Tools or Cash Grabs? =
Maryland program shows progress on improving safety, but high rate of repeat offenders undermines the deterrent argument (http://www.wsj.com/articles/traffic-cameras-safety-tools-or-cash-grabs-1465564999)
QuoteAre traffic-enforcement cameras the safety tool and deterrent government officials say or are they the money grab that critics contend?
QuoteThe answer, the numbers suggest, is somewhere in the middle.
QuoteHundreds of cities and states in the U.S. use cameras to combat speeders, red-light runners and toll skippers. To get a glimpse at how automated enforcement has played out in one context, The Wall Street Journal looked to numbers from Maryland, the most aggressive state in employing speed cameras in highway construction zones.
QuoteWhile figures from Maryland's SafeZones speed-camera program show a reduction in speed through work zones, the $40 citation that accompanies violations hasn't been enough to slow down an incorrigible group of speeders. Some are willing to pay the fine and put the pedal to the metal because there is no increase in penalties for amassing dozens of citations–and some drivers do exactly that.
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore officials pledge to avoid past mistakes in relaunching speed camera program (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/politics/bs-md-ci-speed-cameras-20170330-story.html)
QuoteMayor Catherine Pugh is planning to relaunch Baltimore's once-troubled speed and red light camera system as early as June – part of a plan to generate $8 million in revenue and get drivers to slow down.
QuoteCity lawmakers and a drivers advocacy group welcomed the announcement of a smaller, better-monitored camera system, but said they wanted to make sure whichever company runs the program doesn't issue erroneous tickets as previous vendors did.
Quote"I have no problems with a speed camera program. I have constituents on some roads who are dying for them to come back," City Councilman Brandon Scott said. "I hope we are awarding it to a company that can operate it in a fair way, where we aren't making the same mistakes as before."
Quote"I have no problems with a speed camera program." City Councilman Brandon Scott said. "The police know my license plate numbers and throw out any pictures involving me or my family"
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 31, 2017, 09:12:40 AM
Quote"I have no problems with a speed camera program." City Councilman Brandon Scott said. "The police know my license plate numbers and throw out any pictures involving me or my family"
And that is why the program should be dumped and made illegal.
This is off-topic, but I saw a red-light camera in action back in February when I was driving northbound on U.S. 301 through Bowie. A box truck ran a red light and I saw the flashbulb going off from my rearview mirror. I was like "Oooooh, he's in trouble!!!"
WTOP Radio: AAA: College Park speed cameras a boon for private vendor (http://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2017/04/speed-cameras-boon-private-vendor/slide/1/)
QuoteThe primary purpose of speed cameras is to make roads safer, especially in areas with a lot of pedestrian traffic.
QuoteAnd after several deaths involving pedestrians near the University of Maryland, College Park, city leaders in 2014 extended the ticketing time of seven area cameras to 24 hours a day.
QuoteSince that move, ticket revenue has more than doubled, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic – and much of the money collected for the citations goes not to the community, but to the for-profit vendors that operate the cameras.
Quote"The vendor is getting nearly 40 percent of every speed camera ticket that is paid. It is one of the most-lucrative speed camera contracts in the state of Maryland," said John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 25, 2017, 10:04:21 AM
WTOP Radio: AAA: College Park speed cameras a boon for private vendor (http://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2017/04/speed-cameras-boon-private-vendor/slide/1/)
QuoteThe primary purpose of speed cameras is to make roads safer, especially in areas with a lot of pedestrian traffic.
QuoteAnd after several deaths involving pedestrians near the University of Maryland, College Park, city leaders in 2014 extended the ticketing time of seven area cameras to 24 hours a day.
QuoteSince that move, ticket revenue has more than doubled, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic — and much of the money collected for the citations goes not to the community, but to the for-profit vendors that operate the cameras.
Quote“The vendor is getting nearly 40 percent of every speed camera ticket that is paid. It is one of the most-lucrative speed camera contracts in the state of Maryland,” said John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic.
As usual, there's not one mention of safety. Did the 24 hour ticketing result in fewer pedestrian deaths?
Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 25, 2017, 10:06:44 AM
As usual, there's not one mention of safety. Did the 24 hour ticketing result in fewer pedestrian deaths?
That's a good question. I do not know the answer. In part because the state (MDOT/SHA)
significantly "hardened" the median (with "natural" barriers of trees and landscaping) of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) in the area where there have been crashes involving motor vehicles and pedestrians - this to force pedestrians to cross U.S. 1 at one of the several signalized intersections there, and to deter or prevent mid-block pedestrian crossings, which are believed to be part of the problem.
I was wondering too. Where the money goes really has no bearing on whether or not they make intersections safer. In fact, if you oppose the cameras, then wouldn't you be worried if 100% of the money went to government agencies? because, if it did, then it would just be even more incentive to put them up all over the place.
Quote from: kphoger on April 25, 2017, 01:19:29 PM
I was wondering too. Where the money goes really has no bearing on whether or not they make intersections safer. In fact, if you oppose the cameras, then wouldn't you be worried if 100% of the money went to government agencies? because, if it did, then it would just be even more incentive to put them up all over the place.
100% of the money should go toward maintenance of the existing system and, whatever is left over, to community programs and betterment. It should be specifically legislated as such. Any new camera must pay for itself in the same way.
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore speed cameras return under stricter laws (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-cameras-return-20170623-story.html)
QuoteWhen Baltimore turns on a new set of speed cameras Monday, it will operate under new laws that officials say will make the system more reliable and less prone to errors than an old one that had to be shut down.
QuoteThe city will operate 10 portable speed cameras near schools throughout the city, the first step in Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh's plan to launch a network that eventually will include 20 speed cameras, 10 red light cameras and a system designed to enforce a prohibition on trucks using certain streets.
For what it's worth with respect to the original question, I do think there are in fact cameras on I-81 in MD now. I drove north and back about two weeks ago, and I vaguely remember seeing the "loaded" vehicle in the median. Coming back a few days later I was trying to spot the camera for the southbound lanes but didn't see it. My wife and I were having a pretty deep conversation about the good and bad of Arby's, so I could have just missed it (or maybe it wasn't actually there).
Regardless, I don't think the OP cares anymore... but the experience reminded me of I-95 in MD between Baltimore and DC back in 2010-12 where there was a camera (did find that one) that didn't seem to snap for folks going 5-10 over. Until reading this thread, I hadn't realized the threshold was 12mph over. Had I known that, I wouldn't have spent so much time being passed in the right lane back then.
Quote from: Fermion on July 08, 2017, 10:22:40 PM
For what it's worth with respect to the original question, I do think there are in fact cameras on I-81 in MD now. I drove north and back about two weeks ago, and I vaguely remember seeing the "loaded" vehicle in the median. Coming back a few days later I was trying to spot the camera for the southbound lanes but didn't see it. My wife and I were having a pretty deep conversation about the good and bad of Arby's, so I could have just missed it (or maybe it wasn't actually there).
Regardless, I don't think the OP cares anymore... but the experience reminded me of I-95 in MD between Baltimore and DC back in 2010-12 where there was a camera (did find that one) that didn't seem to snap for folks going 5-10 over. Until reading this thread, I hadn't realized the threshold was 12mph over. Had I known that, I wouldn't have spent so much time being passed in the right lane back then.
You are correct. The cameras are being used on 81 for the bridge replacement. The threshold is 12 MPH, so anything under 67 is OK (still, for calibration reasons, I'd still stay a few MPH under that).
http://www.roads.maryland.gov/Pages/release.aspx?newsId=2848
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore red light cameras begin issuing $75 fines (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-red-light-cameras-activated-20170830-story.html)
Quote"The trial period for the red-light cameras is over," Mayor Catherine Pugh said Wednesday. "My message to everyone is "Drive slow, drive slow, drive slow.' "
QuoteThe eight red-light cameras are at six intersections in Baltimore: Reisterstown Road at Patterson Avenue; East North Avenue at North Howard Street; South Monroe Street at Washington Boulevard; Belair Road at Erdman Avenue; Pulaski Highway at North Point Road; and North Calvert Street at East Baltimore Street.
QuoteThe new red-light camera system comes after the relaunch of Baltimore's speed camera system stumbled on its first day, when the program's vendor accidentally issued a combined $38,480 in duplicate tickets to 962 people.
Quote from: MASTERNC on July 09, 2017, 01:01:36 PM
Quote from: Fermion on July 08, 2017, 10:22:40 PM
For what it's worth with respect to the original question, I do think there are in fact cameras on I-81 in MD now. I drove north and back about two weeks ago, and I vaguely remember seeing the "loaded" vehicle in the median. Coming back a few days later I was trying to spot the camera for the southbound lanes but didn't see it. My wife and I were having a pretty deep conversation about the good and bad of Arby's, so I could have just missed it (or maybe it wasn't actually there).
Regardless, I don't think the OP cares anymore... but the experience reminded me of I-95 in MD between Baltimore and DC back in 2010-12 where there was a camera (did find that one) that didn't seem to snap for folks going 5-10 over. Until reading this thread, I hadn't realized the threshold was 12mph over. Had I known that, I wouldn't have spent so much time being passed in the right lane back then.
You are correct. The cameras are being used on 81 for the bridge replacement. The threshold is 12 MPH, so anything under 67 is OK (still, for calibration reasons, I'd still stay a few MPH under that).
http://www.roads.maryland.gov/Pages/release.aspx?newsId=2848
There's also one set-up on the northbound side of I-95 in Baltimore City about a mile north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza. That one will presumably be there until the current construction project to make I-95 at least 4 lanes in both directions from I-895 to the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 30, 2017, 08:57:33 PM
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore red light cameras begin issuing $75 fines (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-red-light-cameras-activated-20170830-story.html)
Quote"The trial period for the red-light cameras is over," Mayor Catherine Pugh said Wednesday. "My message to everyone is "Drive slow, drive slow, drive slow.' "
QuoteThe eight red-light cameras are at six intersections in Baltimore: Reisterstown Road at Patterson Avenue; East North Avenue at North Howard Street; South Monroe Street at Washington Boulevard; Belair Road at Erdman Avenue; Pulaski Highway at North Point Road; and North Calvert Street at East Baltimore Street.
QuoteThe new red-light camera system comes after the relaunch of Baltimore's speed camera system stumbled on its first day, when the program's vendor accidentally issued a combined $38,480 in duplicate tickets to 962 people.
Good to know I can keep running the red lights on Pulaski Highway from Moravia into downtown.
Quote from: Alps on August 30, 2017, 09:31:33 PM
Good to know I can keep running the red lights on Pulaski Highway from Moravia into downtown.
Shunpiking the tunnels? Or just headed for MDRoads headquarters?
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore to nearly double size of speed and red light camera system (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-cameras-double-20180302-story.html)
QuoteBaltimore officials are expanding the city's speed and red light camera system – nearly doubling the size of the program as it sends out millions of dollars in fines.
QuoteDepartment of Transportation officials said Friday they are adding 44 cameras across Baltimore to the existing fleet of 56, bringing the total number of traffic cameras in the city to 100. The additions will include 19 speed cameras, 19 red light cameras and six cameras designed to catch large trucks traveling on roads where they are not allowed.
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore aims to triple red light, speed camera revenue to $24 million (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-camera-budget-20180328-story.html)
Washington Post: Along Indian Head Highway, pleas for speed cameras to end carnage (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/along-indian-head-highway-pleas-for-speed-cameras-to-end-carnage/2018/04/01/4f9137ba-3298-11e8-8abc-22a366b72f2d_story.html)
I do not think speed cameras are going to solve the problem of fatal and injury crashes on MD-210 (Indian Head Highway).
Why?
Some of the worst offenders in the corridor are riders of "sport" motorcycles (a/k/a "crotch rockets") such as the Suzuki Hayabusa. The riders of these vehicles frequently have the tag obscured so it cannot be read by automated devices, or they have no tag displayed at all.
Baltimore Sun: Council president wants traffic lights synced before Baltimore begins fining drivers for blocking the box (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-young-traffic-lights-20180423-story.html)
Baltimore Sun: Baltimore to add 37 more traffic camera locations, including 27 for speed cameras (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-speed-camera-expansion-20180727-story.html)
Baltimore Sun: This Baltimore work zone camera caught the most drivers speeding in the past year (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-work-zone-speed-citations-20180820-story.html)
QuoteOf the five work zone speed cameras scattered throughout the Baltimore area, one caught more drivers speeding during the last year than the four others combined.
QuoteA camera on northbound Interstate 95 in a work zone north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel generated the most tickets of five work zone speed cameras in area last year, issuing 142,478 citations between May 2017 and July 2018, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Photo enforcement signs are up on I-895 south before the tunnel, in preparation for the bridge rehabilitation. All the signs are covered up, except for one speed limit sign with Photo Enforced at the bottom (speed limit will remain 50 MPH).
Quote from: MASTERNC on August 24, 2018, 03:58:33 PM
Photo enforcement signs are up on I-895 south before the tunnel, in preparation for the bridge rehabilitation. All the signs are covered up, except for one speed limit sign with Photo Enforced at the bottom (speed limit will remain 50 MPH).
It's bridge
replacement (as in the Canton Viaduct north of the north portal of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel) and rehabilitation (of both tunnel tubes) on I-895.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 24, 2018, 11:36:22 PM
Quote from: MASTERNC on August 24, 2018, 03:58:33 PM
Photo enforcement signs are up on I-895 south before the tunnel, in preparation for the bridge rehabilitation. All the signs are covered up, except for one speed limit sign with Photo Enforced at the bottom (speed limit will remain 50 MPH).
It's bridge replacement (as in the Canton Viaduct north of the north portal of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel) and rehabilitation (of both tunnel tubes) on I-895.
Got it. What is strange, though, is I noticed a "Photo Enforced" speed limit sign that had been uncovered on I-895 North before the tunnel toll plaza. However, I don't recall the plans calling for speed enforcement there (not sure where it would go anyway) and there were none of the other warning signs posted (covered or not). Guess we'll see if it's a mistake or a change in plans.
Quote from: MASTERNC on August 28, 2018, 09:18:47 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 24, 2018, 11:36:22 PM
Quote from: MASTERNC on August 24, 2018, 03:58:33 PM
Photo enforcement signs are up on I-895 south before the tunnel, in preparation for the bridge rehabilitation. All the signs are covered up, except for one speed limit sign with Photo Enforced at the bottom (speed limit will remain 50 MPH).
It's bridge replacement (as in the Canton Viaduct north of the north portal of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel) and rehabilitation (of both tunnel tubes) on I-895.
Got it. What is strange, though, is I noticed a "Photo Enforced" speed limit sign that had been uncovered on I-895 North before the tunnel toll plaza. However, I don't recall the plans calling for speed enforcement there (not sure where it would go anyway) and there were none of the other warning signs posted (covered or not). Guess we'll see if it's a mistake or a change in plans.
I sometimes wonder if they just put those signs up more as a threat rather than a promise.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on August 28, 2018, 09:23:38 AM
I sometimes wonder if they just put those signs up more as a threat rather than a promise.
Maryland is not supposed to have those signs up unless they are running photo radar frequently (but there are times when there's nothing running).