But, of course, it's not about being a revenue generator...

It's all about safety, right????

How many of these happened when NO work was occurring?

Typically with the speed cameras, the contractor for the state gets a hefty cut of the "profits." It would be useful for Mr. Dresser to find out how much goes to the state and how much goes to the contractor. You may be very surprised.

For safety my A$$! It's all about the buck. Not a single word as to how many lives were saved. You know why,,,,,,, because fast-or- slow, does not really matter when a car veers off the roadway and hits a worker! It's ALWAYS bad news. These cameras do nothing to get drunks, tired people, drug addicts, mothers who are hollering at a kid in the back seat and so on off the roads! The injury stats stay the same, the only thing that goes up is the average Joe's debt load from these BS tickets!!!

If you don't like the cameras, then don't speed. I wouldn't mind seeing the cameras up all the time.

Tom:
How about if we put speed cameras in your neighborhood and fine people who drive over 5 mph? I wouldn't mine that. Unless you live in my neighborhood, of course.

The actual SHA announcement does include how the speed enforcement zones have reduced the speeds in the construction areas and makes no mention of ticket revenue.

It's only the Baltimore Sun article that introduces and calculates the potential ticket revenue.

The average Joe mentioned in a prior comment does not get a citation unless he is going more than 12 miles above the posted speed limit, e.g., more than 67 in a 55 zone. That's after he's zoomed past the huge signs warning of the work zone photo enforcement and the speed signs showing his vehicle's speed. All seems pretty reasonable to me.

COMMENT FROM MICHAEL DRESSER: Some of us think raising revenue from speeders is much preferable to doing so through taxes.

I saw my first work zone camera today heading east towards White Marsh on the Beltway near the Charles Street bridge replacement around noon, they were actively working on the site at the time.

It was a front bumper mounted camera (similar to a bicycle rack) on a white Jeep liberty.

I don't remember seeing signs before the camera warning of the potential for photo enforcement though.

As someone who travels the Beltway early in the morning and late at night I can attest to the fact that this is nothing but a cash grab. Very rarely are the cameras active while actual work is being performed. I've seen them out there as late as 11PM. And the stretch of road between 83 to just past Charles street, where I most often see them, the construction taking place is not on 695, it has moved to the Charles St overpass and surrounding area. So explain to me how that is protecting those workers. I think they just set up some Jersey walls and throw out some barrels as an excuse to hand out tickets. And to Gerry, there are numerous signs posted warning of photo enforcement.

And oh yeah...When it's dark out and you are on the other side of 695 from the camera, when it does go off, the bright strobe light is right in your face with a blinding light. Yeah, that's real safe.

I've seen a lot of accidents at the Liberty Road work zone. I think the cameras are causing them. People tend to go off the side of the road or run into each other a lot in that area. The cameras are very unsafe. They are causing accidents!

I would be fine with a speed camera in my neighborhood. The speed limit is 25 mph and people rountinely travel probably over 40 mph. It is a residential neighborhood with kids. I had someone lose control of their car and ended up in my front yard, another neighbor had a car end up in her living room.

I'm going to step down from the moderator's chair to reply to the suggestion that speed cameras by their mere presence cause accidents on the Beltway.

If some driver is going far too fast, then slows down so quickly upon seeing a sign warning of a work zone that he or she loses control, it's the fault of a piece of machinery? Excuse me, but doesn't that negate the concept of personal responsibility? Are we to blame police cars for causing accidents when speeders react abruptly to their presence?
I'm sorry. Cameras don't cause accidents. Bad drivers do.
--Michael Dresser

@Michael Dresser
If the camera was not there then drivers wouldn't have to fearfully slam on the breaks to avoid having their picture taken. The fact is that the cameras are influencing drivers. Whose fault it is does not remove the camera's involvement. The cameras affect the flow of traffic and therefore I believe they cause accidents given the increase in accidents around Liberty Road in particular.

Nobody wants a dead construction worker. Nobody wants to open up a letter with a picture of them speeding weeks after the event either. If we want to get tough on safety then we should have more cops sitting in construction zones able to stop people driving dangerously. We should not have these portable camera machines snapping photos and doing nothing to actually confront unsafe drivers. Speed does not necessarily indicate unsafe driving, but these cameras only address speed in a passive way. Someone weaving or road raging gets completely ignored by these cameras. I think these cameras do more harm than good, unless you're balancing a budget and eager to squeeze more money out of your constituents/taxpayers/voters.

Big Dragon,

You state that 'if we want to get tough on safety we should have more cops sitting in construction zones.' You also state that 'cameras influence drivers' and that they cause people to 'fearfully slam on their brakes.'

Wouldn't the presence of cops also cause peole to 'fearfully slam on their brakes' to avoid a ticket? How is the presence of police in construction zones any different than the presence of cameras?

2 citaions 8 minutes apart with no workers at the work zones...

What's wrong with this picture?

I never go above 65 and I was going with the flow of traffic. Times are tough yet our state decides to take more out of people's pockets in an unorthodox manner? when does it end?

Was "strobed" 11:15 PM last night at the LibertyRd/I-695 "construction site", doing about 67. I thought the flash was an explosion! P.S.-No workers, no lights, no troopers, some cones along the right shoulder but no other indication of a work zone. Oh, and the posted signs along the roadside were blocked by 18-wheelers. Hey, MTA, why not use the overhead signs to alert motorists of work zones ahead, instead of the absurd "report suspicious activity"?

Suspicious activity = State, Federal, and local governments robbing from the poor to feed the rich. Business as usual.

I drove through the Libery Road construction zone several times this weekend and noticed the digital speed devices show your speed about 10 mph slower than your actual speed. So if you go by the speed that lights up and not your speedometer it becomes easy to get a ticket since you think you are going say 55 when really you are going 65. While this will generate more fines it certainly doesn't make for a safe work zone.

The real issue here is what constitutes a "work zone." Anyone notice the word "work" in the phrase "work zone?" If there is no one working, how is it legitimately a work zone? A school zone is only in effect when school is in session. A work zone should only be in effect when work is in progress!