Picking your pocket: Speed cameras

WASHINGTON - Money is something everyone is trying to hold onto right now, so why does it seem like local governments are trying to pick your pocket?

This week WTOP takes a look at some of the tricky ways drivers are falling victim to revenue generators around the region.

Part II: Speed Cameras

WASHINGTON - If you haven't had your picture taken by one, chances are you know someone who has. Speed cameras now dot the landscape of the District and Montgomery County, and with a recent bill passing that allows the cameras near Maryland schools and highway work zones, the devices are sure to start springing up all across the "Free State."

Those in favor of speed cameras say they make roads safer, but others say it's just one more way local governments are picking motorists' pockets.

"This should be about safety and have nothing to do with moneymaking," says AAA Mid-Atlantic's Lon Anderson, when asked about a certain set of speed cameras on Connecticut Avenue in the Village of Chevy Chase.

"We think these cameras are doing a lot for the coffers of Chevy Chase Village."

In fact, the Village's speed camera program is now projected to bring in nearly $7.5 million during the current fiscal year. The Village's total budget is $4.5 million.

Questions remain about whether Connecticut Avenue -- a six lane commuter route -- is the proper place to have these cameras in place.

In the District, officials are looking to expand the speed camera program with the specific intent of raising revenue during a lean budget period. The Fenty administration says additional cameras throughout the city could raise millions to help close a big budget gap.

Some D.C. Council memebers have gone as far as to call the expansion of the program a "tax" on drivers.

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