TRAPPE, Md. - Speed cameras can be found all across Delmarva, but they will not be showing up in the town of Trappe after a town council member experienced what it was like to receive a ticket first-hand.
Town council members originally wanted speed cameras. They were told it would be a good source of revenue for the town and its one-man police force. With the extra money earned, the town planned to employ a part-time officer.
Council President Robert Croswell was in favor of bringing speed cameras to town, until he had a run-in with the cameras.
"I had the misfortune of going into Cambridge and getting a ticket in their 15 mph school speed zone," Croswell said.
Now Trappe is no longer considering using speed cameras.
"After that experience I just felt like this wasn't the kind of face the town of Trappe should put forward to visitors coming in," Croswell said. "I know I don't go back to Cambridge to shop anymore."
Speed cameras have been controversial ever since arriving on Delmarva.
"Speed cameras are a tax," said Rusty Bell of Ocean City, Md. "The government needed a way to raise taxes and that's the way they raise taxes."
Not everyone finds these cameras to be a nuisance. James Van Sciver of Salisbury believes drivers need to adhere to the rules of the road.
"In terms of changing peoples behaviors, I would be in favor of speed cameras," he said.
The city of Cambridge currently has two speed cameras that are used to monitor school zones. Every couple of months, police move them to a new location.
