Prince George's muffs speed camera decision
A reader named John Dusch sent along an article from the Gazette in Prince George's County on speed cameras, thinking I'd be interested. I was.
It seems the Prince George's County Council has approved plans for speed cameras and has designated the county Revenue Authority to determine the 50 school sites where they will be deployed.
The Revenue Authority? What are these people thinking?
Regular readers of this blog are well aware that I have no objections to speed cameras and wouldn't mind if they were used on every road in the state. But to maintain the integrity and the core purpose of the program -- safety -- decisions on where to post such cameras should be kept strictly separate from revenue considerations.
Camera location is a matter for the police department, the transportation department, even the health department, but not the revenue arm of local government. Prince George's County's decision reflects badly not just on its own program but others around the state.
The Council should rethink this extremely harmful decision.
Comments
with slight editing:
But to maintain the SPECIOUS ARTIFICE OF integrity and the DELUSION THAT THE core purpose of the program -- safety -- ...
hahaha!
They let the cat out of the bag!
Well done whoever it was down in PG who didn't shirk at CORRECTLY setting responsibility for the cameras where it belongs.
Posted by: MrRational | October 15, 2009 10:59 AM
I find myself in agreement with MrRational, they really let the cat out of the bag on this one and pretty much confirmed what most of the detractors of the program have been saying all along (myself included).
I'm not yet prepared to put on my tinfoil hat and start raging on the talkboards yet, but this type of thing is reaaaaaally making me loathe the governing councils running much of this state.
Posted by: Evan | October 15, 2009 11:35 AM
I applaud the honesty of PG County in finally admitting that it's a revenue grab and little if anything more than that.
I'd prefer it if the counties just admitted what they wanted from these things and went on their way. No more cloak and dagger or lying. Just tell me straight up that you want the money.
Posted by: bryanintimonium | October 15, 2009 1:16 PM
The aspect I protest even greater than the money grab is the social engineering and behavior modification this is intended to achieve.
I'd rather have roving hordes of gun toting criminals wreaking havoc on potholed and unlit streets than encourage this Big Brother approach to driving habits or roadway funding.
I know that sounds like mere hyperbole... it isn't. We are far too eager to give up far too much of what makes us a free and self determinant people for what is at most a marginal improvement.
Posted by: MrRational | October 15, 2009 3:02 PM
Well, there you go....
Oops!
Posted by: Oat | October 15, 2009 5:57 PM
I assume the County Revenue Authority is going to select the 50 locations that will result in the most citations and accumulation of the greatest dollars. Gee. I wonder how Thomas V. Mike Miller, President of the Senate of Maryland, resident of Prince George's County, feels after his own County Council has just rudely slapped him in the face.
Posted by: trebort49 | October 15, 2009 10:35 PM
Earth to Dresser: The only thing speed scameras have to do with law enforcement is corrupting it to raise money for bankrupt governments and sleezy contractors - that IS the core (and denied) purpose of them, so it makes sense to leave it to the Revenue Authority. They don't change or deter behavior and govt knows and banks on them not. How else could they make millions off of them? Don't be surprised when you are going 40 mph in a traffic jam caused by interstate work zone talivans and end up with a ticket anyway. The money doesn't lie buddy, the cameras may at times, but the money doesn't!
Posted by: F_MD_$cameras | October 26, 2009 11:20 PM