Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson has scrapped a plan to put up 100 speed cameras in school zones over the next two years, according to a report in the Gazette.
Johnson described the plan as an “extra” tax on drivers and said it would be unpopular. Instead, police will use a small fleet of camera-equipped vans that can be deployed to school zones as the need arises.
The decision counters a regional trend, especially at a time when local governments are slashing budgets and scheduling furloughs to cope with drastically lower tax revenues.
“I talked to average citizens about it," Johnson told the Gazette. "They feel it's just a way of taking money out of citizens' pockets."
A number of Montgomery County drivers might agree. The devices have been used there for a couple of years and have raked in millions of dollars in fines at $40 per violation.
