I have already been nailed at least 4 times in MD by the $40 speed camera infraction. In each case, the speed limit was only 30 miles per hour and I was branded a transgressor for traveling at a very normal rate of 41-43 mph on a road that was a fairly main thoroughfare.
There is one box right in our neighborhood in Catonsville on North Rolling Road near the high school. They keep moving the position of the trap … but the authorities know they have a gold mine in potential infractions along that main artery. Even though I know it is there and have been stung repeatedly, sometimes I find myself daydreaming and not forcing myself to crawl through that section of town.
Given man’s sinful nature, it always surprises me that some angry resident has not slunk out in the middle of the night and spray painted over the camera face. I know the thought has occurred to me more than once.
Most of the revenue goes to the manufacturer of the box who has the contract for placement and maintenance of the device — with only a trickle of revenue benefiting the municipality. It certainly does serve a function in reducing overall speed at that one small location, but at the cost of great aggravation.