Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 10:28     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:It's completely a scam.
Trying getting a ticket across a six lane highway (WTH are kids gettign dropped off across the street on a six lane highway, right before the ONRAMP to I270 where there are literally NO HOMES) while it's snowing, and you're in lane 6 in the opposite direction. Oh yes, so F'in EASY to see. And $275 in fines. Why is there a bus stop there at all? And it's SNOWING. And I"m supposed to rotate my head back and forth constantly 180 degrees while driving, paying attention to what's happening six lanes over from me in the opposite direction where, in common sense, there should be no bus stop.

Then come to find out the revenue is going to the camera installer.
Infuriating.


PP, if you can't see a big yellow school bus with flashing red lights and a strobe light on top, then you shouldn't be allowed to drive. You're endangering all of us.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 10:22     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
It's completely a scam.
Trying getting a ticket across a six lane highway (WTH are kids gettign dropped off across the street on a six lane highway, right before the ONRAMP to I270 where there are literally NO HOMES) while it's snowing, and you're in lane 6 in the opposite direction. Oh yes, so F'in EASY to see. And $275 in fines. Why is there a bus stop there at all? And it's SNOWING. And I"m supposed to rotate my head back and forth constantly 180 degrees while driving, paying attention to what's happening six lanes over from me in the opposite direction where, in common sense, there should be no bus stop.

Then come to find out the revenue is going to the camera installer.
Infuriating.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 09:09     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Parents' Coalition:

At today's Montgomery County Council hearing on the bus cameras installed on the exterior of MCPS school buses, Montgomery County Police stated that the citations issued to date have generated $21.4 million in fines.

However, when tracking the citation fines paid to Montgomery County, it is only possible to account for $12,086,617.

Which leaves $9.3 million in citation fines unaccounted for in the public documents that track the receipt of these fines.


Completely untrue. There is no money unaccounted for. Did you listen to the worksession? You should be more concerned with the fact the county has paid $2 million more in revenue to the vendor, than what the cameras cost. And has yet to come to a fee share agreement. The fee share agreement better contain a way to recoup the county’s portion of that $2 million.


You didn't listen to the worksession. If you did you would have heard that an audit has been underway for months with no end in sight. MCPS hasn't received $21.4 million. Money is unaccounted for. There have already been problems with tracking the payments.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 09:08     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is more of a local politics issue.


It’s kind of both.


It is only a school issue very tangentially as a safety issue, but it very much is a political issue.

OP, stop passing school buses when the lights and arm and engaged.


Students getting run over (or not) on their way to/from school is very much a school issue.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 09:07     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You mean to tell me they can’t sell bonds to pay for the cameras then pay the bonds off with the proceeds of the tickets? With the number of citations they’re issuing it wouldn’t take long. How does someone negotiate a deal where they just collect free money?

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/11/school-bus-camera-contract-under-review-in-montgomery-county/

The revenue from those citations would go to the vendor in exchange for installation of the cameras “at no cost” to the county.


You don’tt want to own technology that becomes outdated fast. I think it was pretty smart. This way, all kids on all buses get protection and nobody can cry favoritism or inequity.


What was smart? MCPS can't figure out if they own the cameras or not. That's one of the things in dispute.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 06:46     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Oddly, the only people who ever complain about this are people who have been nailed. Stop breaking the law and driving past school buses with their red lights flashing. Then you won't have any problems. And be glad it was the camera that caught you and not a cop, because then the fine is $600 and 3 points.


No Trumper, that's not who complains about this. The people complaining are called the FBI and they arrested the CEO of the company and sent him to prison.

The other people complaining about this are the 20% of the people who get fake citations. They get sent a citation that isn't a violation and they have the choice of taking a day off from work to sit around District Court or paying a fake fine. They complain too. A lot.


Nobody gets a “fake” citation. We’ve been through this before. Find the other thread. The video is reviewed four times, by the vendor and the police. A quarter of offenses are thrown out. You never see a ticket.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 06:44     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:Parents' Coalition:

At today's Montgomery County Council hearing on the bus cameras installed on the exterior of MCPS school buses, Montgomery County Police stated that the citations issued to date have generated $21.4 million in fines.

However, when tracking the citation fines paid to Montgomery County, it is only possible to account for $12,086,617.

Which leaves $9.3 million in citation fines unaccounted for in the public documents that track the receipt of these fines.


Completely untrue. There is no money unaccounted for. Did you listen to the worksession? You should be more concerned with the fact the county has paid $2 million more in revenue to the vendor, than what the cameras cost. And has yet to come to a fee share agreement. The fee share agreement better contain a way to recoup the county’s portion of that $2 million.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 06:42     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:You mean to tell me they can’t sell bonds to pay for the cameras then pay the bonds off with the proceeds of the tickets? With the number of citations they’re issuing it wouldn’t take long. How does someone negotiate a deal where they just collect free money?

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/11/school-bus-camera-contract-under-review-in-montgomery-county/

The revenue from those citations would go to the vendor in exchange for installation of the cameras “at no cost” to the county.


You don’tt want to own technology that becomes outdated fast. I think it was pretty smart. This way, all kids on all buses get protection and nobody can cry favoritism or inequity.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 06:13     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:Parents' Coalition:

At today's Montgomery County Council hearing on the bus cameras installed on the exterior of MCPS school buses, Montgomery County Police stated that the citations issued to date have generated $21.4 million in fines.

However, when tracking the citation fines paid to Montgomery County, it is only possible to account for $12,086,617.

Which leaves $9.3 million in citation fines unaccounted for in the public documents that track the receipt of these fines.


That's really suspicious.
Anonymous
Post 11/20/2019 04:59     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Parents' Coalition:

At today's Montgomery County Council hearing on the bus cameras installed on the exterior of MCPS school buses, Montgomery County Police stated that the citations issued to date have generated $21.4 million in fines.

However, when tracking the citation fines paid to Montgomery County, it is only possible to account for $12,086,617.

Which leaves $9.3 million in citation fines unaccounted for in the public documents that track the receipt of these fines.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2019 22:09     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Oddly, the only people who ever complain about this are people who have been nailed. Stop breaking the law and driving past school buses with their red lights flashing. Then you won't have any problems. And be glad it was the camera that caught you and not a cop, because then the fine is $600 and 3 points.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2019 17:42     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is more of a local politics issue.


It’s kind of both.


It is only a school issue very tangentially as a safety issue, but it very much is a political issue.

OP, stop passing school buses when the lights and arm and engaged.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2019 17:27     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
Anonymous wrote:This is more of a local politics issue.


It’s kind of both.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2019 17:25     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
This is more of a local politics issue.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2019 17:24     Subject: School bus tickets seem like a scam that scream corruption
You mean to tell me they can’t sell bonds to pay for the cameras then pay the bonds off with the proceeds of the tickets? With the number of citations they’re issuing it wouldn’t take long. How does someone negotiate a deal where they just collect free money?

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/11/school-bus-camera-contract-under-review-in-montgomery-county/

The revenue from those citations would go to the vendor in exchange for installation of the cameras “at no cost” to the county.