Resident sets up fake speed camera to slow down rowdy drivers
BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Kensington resident Jake Meer returned from vacation this week and was greeted by a shocking discovery — a fake speed camera set up right outside his home.
The fake camera, made from wood, plexiglass and glue, was seemingly thrown together by another resident taking it upon themselves to slow down reckless drivers in the neighborhood.
The community member placed the fake camera beneath a sign stating "Traffic Laws Photo Enforced," making it all the more convincing.
"I totally get the utility factor," Meer said in a Nextdoor post about his discovery. "People drive way too fast down McComas [Avenue] and it needs to be safer."
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The camera sits on McComas Avenue and includes an empty front compartment that functions as a library. The library houses such classics as the "New Driver’s Guide to Things to Not Crash Into," "How to Drive Safely: 49 Expert Tips, Tricks, and Advice for New, Teen Drivers" and "The Original Roadkill Cookbook."
"I find it kind of funny," Meer’s next-door neighbor Matthew Fairbank said. "It’s definitely something that needs to happen on this road."
Many Kensington residents are proponents of the new decoy speed box. Some have even noticed its impact on traffic firsthand.
"It definitely brings attention to speed," Fairbank said. "I sat out here Saturday when I noticed it and actually noticed people using their breaks
Residents in the neighborhood have been pushing for the city to do something about reckless driving along McComas Avenue for some time. The street acts as a crossroad between Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard. However, Fairbank thinks the residential street is ill-equipped to handle the traffic.
"Personally, when our cars are parked down the street, we’ve lost three mirrors," Fairbank said.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation recently established the McComas Avenue Greenway Project to help improve pedestrian and bike safety along the roadway. Using community feedback, the project aims to utilize signs and pavement markings to help improve traffic flow in the area.
"I would love to see some legitimate speed cameras. I would love to see speed bumps or humps," Tijan Brown, another Kensington resident, said. "I think there’s a more urgent need, and I think that fake speed box is a telltale sign of that."
Montgomery County police emailed FOX 5 a statement saying, "The 'camera' is not a camera. It was not placed in this area by MCPD, and it is not an MCPD speed camera. The location where the device has been placed is not an approved location for a speed camera."