Friday, April 6, 2012
Think speed cameras in school zones take a holiday? Think again. They'll be on duty in the summer, too, say Howard County police.
Howard County has continued to issue speeding citations to drivers in school zones, even while students have been away for spring break, according to Howard County police officials. Both county and state law allow for school zone speed camera enforcement from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., but school does not need to be in session. Still, the department maintains it is using the cameras in a reasonable way. "We have been sensitive to that issue and for the most part are operating our vans in areas where activities are planned at the school," said police spokesperson Bryce Buell. Buell added that the cameras will also be used in the summer in order to maintain safety for attendees of summer programs. Patch readers also expressed concern the vehicles are…
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
In Howard County's school zones, mobile camera units averaged 104 citations per day in January and 90 per day in December, said police.
Nearly 2,200 citations were issued by school zone speed cameras in January, according to the Howard County Police Department (HCPD). Only a handful of citations have been contested. “Our collective thought was that the first [contested ticket] would be a physicist with a projector,” debating the accuracy of the technology, Chief William McMahon said this week. It was, instead, a young woman who was speeding, contested the ticket, and was found guilty, McMahon said. So far, all of the drivers who have contested citations—less than five—have been found guilty and ordered to pay the $40 fine. Money from the citations is earmarked to pay for the speed camera program, according to HCPD spokeswoman Elizabeth Schroen. Any additional money is …
Friday, January 6, 2012
More than 2,500 citations issued since mid-November; $40,000 in fines collected so far.
Since Howard County's speed camera program began issuing tickets about seven weeks ago, some 2,857 citations have been issued, according to Howard County Police. The program began issuing $40 tickets to violators on Nov. 16, following a month of warnings starting in October. Police spokesperson Elizabeth Schroen said 737 warning notices were sent during the 30-day warning period. In the seven weeks since warnings ended, police report $40,000 in fines have been collected for 1,000 citations. The remainder "are pending payment," says Schroen. They total an additional $74,280 in fines. Citations with fines are issued to drivers traveling 12 mph or more above the speed limit but do not add penalty points to the violator's driving record. The …
Sean Colin
1:36 pm on Saturday, June 30, 2012
I believe the best way to show our support for school zone speed cameras is to lay on our horns for the entire length of any marked school zone. This act of audible support will prove to people living along that stretch of road that no matter what, day or night, we are staunch proponents of speed cameras near their homes. Second, this 110db reinforcement will also warn children playing in the … more ›