Watch your speed near Frederick school zones

FREDERICK, Md. - Get ready for more speed cameras on D.C.-area roads.

In a 4 to 1 vote, the City of Frederick's Board of Aldermen approved the use of speed cameras in school zones. The city still has to decide how many to use and where to put them.

It's not clear how soon the cameras will actually be operating.

Alderman C. Paul Smith voted against the plan. He's concerned that the county could become flooded with cameras and make a lot of money off its residents. He wants to limit the number of cameras to a "handful."

Mayor Jeff Holtzinger agrees that safety is the top priority, but says, "the fact is, we're going to make revenue on these cameras because speeding is a problem." He says the city could make a "boatload" of cash if it placed cameras along Key Parkway and Shookstown Road.

Once the cameras are ready for operation, the public will be notified in several ways, and signs will be placed in the school zones where they operate.

The cameras will only target cars going 12 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. Warnings will be issued for the first 30 days of the program, but after that, the cameras will send out $40 tickets.

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