Montgomery County Maryland has started deploying photo radar at specified locations. They have been nice enough to post on their website exactly where these are/will be located. Of course, virtually my whole commute will be adorned with these new gadgets. Well, recently, as I pass through one of the specified locations, my V1 dutifully informed me with strong radar warnings. Despite prolonged neck-craning I could not locate the device. Well, today, as I passed by area, and the arrows of my V1 moved from front, to side to rear, I looked in my rearview mirror just in time to catch two extremely bright light pulses come from the grill of a parked Dodge Caravan. It had nabbed a driver coming from the opposite direction. So now I wonder, is this how they plan to "mount" the photo radar, or is that a temporary thing until the photo equipment is permanently mounted? Seems to me the big benefit (to the County, that is) is that they don't have to be manned.

 

On the radio stations and local news (wusa9) they stated that they were going to be using parked cars. But they did not say how long or if it would be a temporary fix. I think that it may be permanent because it allows them to remove the unit during heavy rush hour times if need be or set it up at different locations so people don't get used to spotting the same vehicle in the same location.

 

Maryland has always been tricky and innovative in their speed inforcement. When the 55mph came along they are the ones that drove side by side on three lanes inforcing 55mph for all evil doers. They use every thing but boats, bet the haven't figured that on out yet. Seen them using stations wagons, vans, flat tire cars, pu's with hay on the back of them. Not to forget the massive multi car catch and pull you. Yep, Maryland is the queen of catch, trickery and deceit. And they keep good records. Every time I have a back ground check ran on me for security reasons, they feed the system that I was stopped and issued a warning ticket in 1965 for riding a motor cycle bare footed in a rain storm on I-495! Yep, that's me, king of the motoring felons!! Carry on Maryland!!

 

Yes, I remember the 18 wheeler with the bumble bee on it. And their slogan "You have been stung." BTW, they do have boats. Don't know if they are equipped with speed radar, though.

 

Although I could have sworn the boats had knots radars. Last time I saw them they were sitting in a cove just inside the wake zone in OC, but then again so was the coast guard boat.

 

This is a timely discussion, I'll be driving through the lovely state of Maryland in a week and a half - guess I better adhere to the posted limits!

Never knew what a dangerous guy rc'S was!

 

Don't forget the unmarked, heavily tinted, Camero! I hate them! The state police has atleast 6 of them in their arsenol that I know of.

 

http://www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/radar.asp

 

That's nuts!! Here they will give you a ticket if you leave your cans out for more than 24 hours, so that would look obviousl unless only put out on collection day.

 

LOL, if I lived in that neighborhood, I'd just walk out to the can after the police left (if they were going to monitor the can, why not monitor the speed gun directly?), and turn the entire can on an angle, so that the camera was useless. Problem solved.

 

Or get out your 2nd car, and park in front of the can on the street

 

Turn it so it faced a baseball diamond; dump it into a garbarge tuck; sticka can next to it; put some fresh meat in there and leave t he top open for the neighborhood racoon

 

Anyone here try this stuff? Supposed to be the Shiznitz!!!

 

If you check the records on some of the older Myth Busters shows I believe this was a busted one (didn't work).

 

Complete waste.

 

?

 

Local news tested it, or similar and it did work using the actual setup the SP use, the SP showed them the photos, and that it work and then went on about the HUGE fine you get when you're caught w/ it, because it's usually regulars that get hit so they make note fo vehicle type make model and some times partial plates they get, then they stick a person there instead of the camera, and have te Trooper provide them with the Speeding citation and if he can make the case a second much larger fine for obscured plates. It's as illegal as shiznitz.

FYI- Both Mythbusters and the local news, desgined for ratings not science and if you take mthbusters as anything more than entertainment you may find yourself decently mislead. I'll probably get flamed for that now.

 

Not getting flamed by me because I don't take much of it with a grain of salt but this product did not work on my cousin's car...

 

I remembered seeing it on TV news in the past, never paid a whole lot of attention to it 'cause we don't have radar cameras here yet