fixed cameras vs. mobile traps, etc

I currently have 14 Mobile speed cameras in the speed camera file. These are designated locations that are posted on the city website.
I do not include speed traps in the file. Right now I have the locations listed as "Mobile Speed Camera"
You can open the file in excel, do a data sort and remove just the Mobile locations if you don't want to get the alert.

Miss POI

Hi Miss POI,
true that there are 14 mobile speed cameras in the file. Unfortunately to me, they are all around where I live in Montgomery Conty, MD: Rockville and Gaithersburg. I am still to see one police car stopped at any of these 14 locations when I cross them, day or night.

I bet our friends in this group that live elsewhere don't care about having those entries, since they don't trigger a false alarm to them. Also true that I could delete them every time I download the file. Or as I posted earlier, they could be on a separate file and those interested on possible mobile traps, add them to their POI files.

I just thought that, as the number of lines in this file will tend to increase as we go forward as more counties add fixed speed cameras, that we should separate fixed and mobile traps.

As feedback from a resident in Montgomery County, those entries don't reflect the reality, at least to me. So far, at least 120 false alarms because of them, 0% of instances there was a police car set there.

Thanks,
Claudio

You should not be seeing a police car sitting there. What you would be seeing is a van with cameras. This van would be run by one of the enforcement camera companies not the police.

Can I hear from others in the area please? Do these locations need to be removed from the file or not?

Miss POI

I have moved this discussion to it's own thread.

Miss POI

I know they also have Vans. I've seen them several times on Watkins Mill Rd (several locations, everywhere, not just one particular corner or stretch of this long road), Apple Ridge Rd, Lost Knife Rd, Centerway Rd and many other locations. The van has tainted glass and you only see the markings on the doors when it's too late.

Added to that, police cars are also parked with hand laser guns everywhere around Gaithersburg, Germantown and Rockville. Just today on my way to church (from Montgomery Village to Gaithersburg), what is a 15 minute drive, I spotted two police cars on different parts of MD-355 with hand laser guns. Being a local, we all know they're preferred locations and approach those areas slowly, but nevertheless, every now and then they find a new spot to park.

But back to my original message...on those locations indicated on the local police's website, which are on our POI file, I've never encountered a police car, van, or otherwise. It might be a coincidence on my part, but wanted to point this out to you.

Fortunately radar detectors are legal in MD!!! Mine is on my dashboard, adjacent to the GPS.

Claudio

Here is my two cents worth on the mobile camera locations.

DC has quite a few locations. You can review Metropolitan Police Department's website (DC Police) and one will see they have their target streets.

Many of the locations I know, but there are a few new locations that surprise me. Many thanks to the guy in front of me who activated the flash camera the last time I was speeding.

I would like to be annoyed to avoid the speed citation. But can agree that a separate file might be good where by I add the information to the main USA file that is here could be a viable option.

I have all the locations for DC logged (on paper not in a POI file) and they are pretty regular with their locations as it is overtime to work that assignment. Prince George's Co nor Charles, Calvert or Howard have a program yet. I believe the State Legislator allowed for Montgomery only right now.

I agree. Just because the other user hasn't seen a van or police car operating in the flagged areas, it doesn't mean they aren't there. As most of the mobile areas are school zones, they operate during high traffic periods, usually in the morning. They will also operate in the afternoon, targeting the moms picking up junior, but they also like the cut-through streets people use to bypass known bottlenecks.

Other than Baltimore, Montgomery County is the only authorized area for speed cameras and they must be on either residential streets or school zones with a speed limit below 35 MPH. I believe Montgomery also has only one van.

A-User, when you mention you agree, what does it mean? I hope you're agreeing with bahoward and I that having mobile cameras on a separate file is good.

Claudio

The agreement was over if mobile camera locations should be listed. The OP as I remember it wanted to remove these locations because they hadn't seen one. Breaking mobile cameras out would create a lot of extra work. Instead of one speed camera file to keep updated, you have two. And what if a camera location isn't specified as fixed or mobile? Normally they are, but if one comes in mislabeled and the person doesn't think they need that file, well. I know, it's the end user who is responsible and all Miss POI can do is provide what is available.

And yes, I live in MontCo - off Exit 16.

At this point, I am going to keep things as simple as possible. I don't have a staff to help me out, I am one person handling many different aspects of running this site and all that comes with it. This is my full time job.

I really am doing the work of about 2 or 3 people right now and my top priority is to create tools and systems that will make my work more manageable not the other way around.

So I will not be making a separate file for the mobile speed vans at this time. I will do further research on that area this week to see if they are no longer being used in those spots.

Miss POI

thanks, you're doing an awesome job! I enjoy visiting this site, keep up the good work.

Miss POI,
Let me know how I can help. I'll be glad to lend you a hand.

An accurate map of the fixed locations in Montgomery County, MD can be found on http://connectedcommunities.us/showthread.php?t=22330

You're probably aware that the Montg. County Police Dept "supposedly" posts the locations for the mobile cameras on their website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/poltmpl.asp?url=/content/P...

You can see them by select the links with Speed Camera Locations for the 6 districts in MCounty.

Trying to track these in a meaningful way for GPS users and your POI file would require a person to come to this website frequently, and translate the several locations from the maps in the 6 districts into lat/long coordinates. The map has very low resolution, and finding the locations can be daunting. For example, I see in the Gaithersburg Map that 3 mobile vans are supposedly at Apple Ridge Rd, MVillage Avenue and Centerway (adjancent to me). I live here. I cross them every day. The icons on the map are not even close to the street names they represent. These roads are a few miles long each...which coordinate to enter on the POI file? Which direction is the van pointing at?

As you well explained on your last post in this topic, this is too much work for you, and I believe for anyone else. These locations change often. Thus my point that trying to track these is not meaningful.

Anyway, it's up to you to keep the outdated information in the current POI file, or not.

By the way, an interesting reading for those into speed traps talks about teenagers in Montg. Cty. mimicking license plates of people they dislike, attaching to their cars, and speeding through traps on purpose to get their enemies to receive a ticket!! Believe it or not...
Quick-minded pranksters tricking area speed cameras
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1556689

The offer to help still stands.

Take care,
Claudio
Take care.

... And one terrific job, I may add. Being in AZ, the 'hot-bed' of redlight and speed cameras, we've received a huge benefit from the tremendous amount of work you do on these Camera files. And figuring in all of the other work you do, I don't know anyone more deserving for COW. I'd like to see your name on that list. Thanks, Miss POI.

RT