Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 17:39     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That particular area can be confusing because the barrier stops just before the McDonalds and often 2 or the 3 cars are sitting in the middle trying to make the turn into and out of the McDonalds. Pay your fine and be a better driver in the future. Use it as a lesson learned. I never run a yellow light anymore after getting 1-2 red light tickets. I am a much safer driver now.


If you ever get a red light camera ticket, the ticket has a link to a video and you should slow it down as much as possible and watch it. In my case, I was quite clearly in the intersection when the light turned red (but if you were watching the video at full speed, it was difficult to tell), so I called them up, told them to slow down the video, and they confirmed that they got it wrong and the ticket was voided without me going to court.


Same for the stop sign cameras only in NW DC. And only guesses that you stopped on or after the first line, and most drivers stop twice, at first line and then nose out if clear to see if other traffic and bikes stop. Fyi the bikes rarely stop at stop signs.


Most drivers stop twice? Hardly. Most drivers do a "California stop". That's also why they get a ticket when they roll through. Cyclists are legally allowed to slow and continue through if no other users are presently at the intersection (autos or pedestrians).
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 16:26     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Just saw FOUR cameras on the Pyle school buses. Go get ‘em!


Lol. maybe our taxes will get slashed down…


Probably all goes to the vendor in charge of all this. 4 cameras per bus doesn't come cheap! Also means lots of hours to review the footage.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 15:57     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:Just saw FOUR cameras on the Pyle school buses. Go get ‘em!


Lol. maybe our taxes will get slashed down…
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 15:18     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:If kids are not crossing the street, then why are the signs even out?! City buses stop all the time and have no issues. Why does everyone need to stop for school buses? I'd argue that it creates more rear ending and more accidents.

(Playing devils advocate here because I always saw this as a nonsensical)


Agree on mulit-lane commercial roads. No kid is crossing the street to the seven mechanics shops. River road is fatal, no school bus sign + idiotic drivers + high volume traffic will save you.

No one crosses at a non red light/green light traffic corner. Just like no one uses the fatal crosswalk under the capital crescent trail there. Lunacy.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 15:15     Subject: Re:School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For all of you saying "just stop for the big yellow bus," depending on the traffic there, it's not so easy to see the big yellow bus or that it has it's little red stop sign out. If you are in the far right lane going southbound and there is traffic in the lane beside you as well in the northbound lanes, unless you know there is a school bus stop right there and you're scanning all the way across three lanes of traffic to see if a bus is there, it's unrealistic to think that it's going to get noticed in time to stop. By the time it registers (if it even does), you're by it. This isn't a bus stopped on a neighborhood road that you can't miss. The fact that so many people get tickets there means the design is problematic and the county should make changes vs. just keep pulling in the revenue.



The fact that the cameras trap unsuspecting drivers is a feature, not a flaw. Just like how on massive roads that already have reasonable speed limits, a camera suddenly goes up and the speed limit gets decreased to a super-low speed. And then drivers get tickets and start slamming on their brakes unexpectedly, making the road much more dangerous than it ever was before the camera went up.

If you remember that revenue generation is the goal, you'll understand why nothing will change. (And actually if there is a change, it will be a change designed to give tickets to even more drivers and generate more revenue).


Lol.
Sigh.

MoCo is copying the Multimillion DC auto-ticket mantra.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 15:14     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Just saw FOUR cameras on the Pyle school buses. Go get ‘em!
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 14:35     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
If kids are not crossing the street, then why are the signs even out?! City buses stop all the time and have no issues. Why does everyone need to stop for school buses? I'd argue that it creates more rear ending and more accidents.

(Playing devils advocate here because I always saw this as a nonsensical)
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 14:32     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You have to stop for school buses in both directions unless there is a median dividing a multiple lane road. Drivers Ed 101. I'd actually pay to see how many idiot drivers in the opposite lanes road rage at people stopped for a bus because they are unaware of the rule like an idiot.


Many.

No one is stopping on a multi-lane commuter road. Even other public school bus drivers in their yellow buses don’t stop for their fellow flashing light stop sign out buses. No one sees the little sign in the bright sun, drivers are too busy minding the crazy traffic and drivers pulling out every 10 meters.


The little sign is attached to a big orange bus with flashing lights.

And most drivers aren't "commuting" at school bus drop-off times, they're just driving.


NP. huh? Our school buses pick up between 7-8:30 (depending on school). Definitely commuting times.

I really think this might be the wrong road to pick kids up on. It seems dangerous for elementary schoolers especially. Where I grew up buses picked up on side streets.

There are no side streets there. The condo is directly on River Road.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 13:54     Subject: Re:School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:For all of you saying "just stop for the big yellow bus," depending on the traffic there, it's not so easy to see the big yellow bus or that it has it's little red stop sign out. If you are in the far right lane going southbound and there is traffic in the lane beside you as well in the northbound lanes, unless you know there is a school bus stop right there and you're scanning all the way across three lanes of traffic to see if a bus is there, it's unrealistic to think that it's going to get noticed in time to stop. By the time it registers (if it even does), you're by it. This isn't a bus stopped on a neighborhood road that you can't miss. The fact that so many people get tickets there means the design is problematic and the county should make changes vs. just keep pulling in the revenue.



The fact that the cameras trap unsuspecting drivers is a feature, not a flaw. Just like how on massive roads that already have reasonable speed limits, a camera suddenly goes up and the speed limit gets decreased to a super-low speed. And then drivers get tickets and start slamming on their brakes unexpectedly, making the road much more dangerous than it ever was before the camera went up.

If you remember that revenue generation is the goal, you'll understand why nothing will change. (And actually if there is a change, it will be a change designed to give tickets to even more drivers and generate more revenue).
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 13:10     Subject: Re:School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
For all of you saying "just stop for the big yellow bus," depending on the traffic there, it's not so easy to see the big yellow bus or that it has it's little red stop sign out. If you are in the far right lane going southbound and there is traffic in the lane beside you as well in the northbound lanes, unless you know there is a school bus stop right there and you're scanning all the way across three lanes of traffic to see if a bus is there, it's unrealistic to think that it's going to get noticed in time to stop. By the time it registers (if it even does), you're by it. This isn't a bus stopped on a neighborhood road that you can't miss. The fact that so many people get tickets there means the design is problematic and the county should make changes vs. just keep pulling in the revenue.

Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 13:06     Subject: Re:School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
When a bus turns in from Little Falls onto River , immediately puts out the stop sign and you have a truck next to you, you will not see it if you are in the far right lane going past the condo building.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 12:57     Subject: Re:School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
The River Road situation is not entirely the driver's fault. They aren't seeing the sign because the road is so wide at that point. I bet if you interviewed them, they would say they werrent' awarwe of it. That it's so widesrpead indicates it's more than just "user error".

On top of that, no kids are crossing River at that stop, as it's only commerical buildings across the street.

The safe and easy solution is fro the bus to turn into the apartment building and drop off the kids there. That's where they're going anyway.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 12:56     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Love how the other school bus is the rabbit and blows past the stopped school buy, encouraging everyone else to as well. Good strategy MCPS! Is there a kickback for that?
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 12:55     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:GOOD! It’s too congested there. People speed and there are schools


Let the country get a few more million dollars in ticket revenue first, for their benefits and raises.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2023 12:54     Subject: School camera tickets, $250 * 10 cars every stop on River Road, Bethesda
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That particular area can be confusing because the barrier stops just before the McDonalds and often 2 or the 3 cars are sitting in the middle trying to make the turn into and out of the McDonalds. Pay your fine and be a better driver in the future. Use it as a lesson learned. I never run a yellow light anymore after getting 1-2 red light tickets. I am a much safer driver now.


If you ever get a red light camera ticket, the ticket has a link to a video and you should slow it down as much as possible and watch it. In my case, I was quite clearly in the intersection when the light turned red (but if you were watching the video at full speed, it was difficult to tell), so I called them up, told them to slow down the video, and they confirmed that they got it wrong and the ticket was voided without me going to court.


Same for the stop sign cameras only in NW DC. And only guesses that you stopped on or after the first line, and most drivers stop twice, at first line and then nose out if clear to see if other traffic and bikes stop. Fyi the bikes rarely stop at stop signs.