Speed Cam Cynicism

Whenever I make a cynical comment about how the the new speed cams in HoCo are really just about money, someone inevitably comes to their defense. A commenter named Alan in this post suggested that perhaps I should stand next to a school crossing guard one morning “and then get back to me, or one of our super brave crossing guards, with your "money grab" accusations.”

Okay, I get that, but what about those places where there are no crossing guards and no crosswalks?

How about those schools where no kids even walk to school?

How do you justify a speed cam van in these locations as anything other than a revenue generator?

I offer Ellicott Mills Middle School as Exhibit A. At Ellicott Mills, not only are there no crosswalks or crossing guards, there are no sidewalks either. In spite of this, since the warning period for speed cams expired less than a month ago, speed cam vans have been stationed in front of the school, along a busy stretch of Montgomery Road, all day, at least twice.

I snapped this picture at noon today. At six this evening, long after school was over but prime time for evening commuters,  the speed cam van was still there. I would be curious to know the number of times the speed cam vans have spent the day in this location compared to those where the “super brave crossing guards” are stationed.