As the Baltimore County Council debates the details of a bill to implement speed cameras, two things should be clear to everyone. First, anyone who drives more than 11 mph over the posted speed limit in a school zone deserves a speeding ticket. Second, whenever the government tells us that speed cameras "are not about the money," it's time for us to hide our wallets.
Baltimore County's speed camera program is designed to change driving behavior by issuing tens of thousands of tickets, resulting in the collection of millions of dollars in fines. The low amount of the fine ($40) and the lack of points associated with the violation do little to deter speeding and are primarily intended to discourage registered owners from contesting the speeding ticket - thereby increasing the collection of revenue. Although county officials are initially planning a limited use of speed cameras, we believe it is important to look at what the legislation would permit the county to do, and whether more effective and less taxing options should be pursued.
According to public testimony, the county intends to install six to 12 speed cameras in fixed locations that have yet to be selected; however, the legislation permits the county to place speed cameras anywhere in a school zone (within a half-mile of radius of the school). With 170 public schools in Baltimore County, plus private and parochial schools, the total number of target locations is well over 250. There is no limit on the number of cameras that may be placed in any one school zone. Finally, the administration of County Executive James T. Smith Jr. is on record supporting the use of speed cameras outside of school zones.
The county estimates that each camera will generate approximately only $138,000 in annual revenue. That number stands in stark contrast to the official revenue estimates forecast by the state. The state intends to install five construction zone speed cameras around the state and predicts that each camera will generate nearly $2 million in yearly revenue. The state's higher revenue estimates are more in line with the experiences of other jurisdictions, such as Montgomery County and Washington, D.C., that have implemented speed camera programs.
