Hilarious article re. speed enforcement cameras

[JT Allen]

With a petition in hand and a sign at his feet that simply reads "STOP Speed Cameras," Daniel Zubairi attracted more than a hundred people in about two hours Friday to join his effort to repeal a law authorizing automated enforcement in Maryland.

 

He also attracted two police officers, who were called to investigate whether Mr. Zubairi had permission to collect signatures of commuters outside the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro station in Bethesda.

 

"I'd sign it if I wasn't on duty," said one of the officers, as he told Mr. Zubairi to move along.

 

"I get ticketed by these things, too, and I hate them as much as he does, but we have a job to do," said his partner. Neither of the officers wanted to be named.

 

Before being dislodged, Mr. Zubairi collected about 150 signatures in two hours, doing little more than standing behind his sign with a sly grin, knowing it and the clipboard would do the talking.

 

"It goes to show how ordinary, working folks feel about speed cameras. They just hate them," said Mr. Zubairi, founder of the speed-camera opposition group Maryland for Responsible Enforcement, which is circulating the petition. "You don't need to persuade anybody that cameras are a drag."

 

People who signed the petition had different reasons for doing so. Some said speed cameras are an infringement of privacy rights; others said they amount to an additional tax on drivers. Still others said they are ineffective.

 

Most just said the cameras should go.

 

"I feel that it's not fair, and it's basically just a way for government to steal money from people," said Leon Iofin, 63, a resident of Bethesda and an information-technology professional. "In my experience, they don't do anything for safety, and they just suck money from people."

 

Steve Alexander, 33, also an IT professional from Bethesda, said he didn't think traffic cameras were effective in deterring speeders.

 

Source: The Washington Times Online