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Notorious Speed Traps

Started by bassoon1986, December 03, 2013, 10:50:27 AM

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hbelkins

Quote from: golden eagle on December 26, 2013, 07:40:47 PM
Union County, IL: I have an uncle who drives for Greyhound and he told me that if you get a ticket here, you have to pay your fines in person at a later date. This is done so that the county can collect revenue from people renting hotel rooms and eating in restaturants there.

What kind of court system does Illinois have that localities can set their own procedures for collecting fines for traffic law violations?

In Kentucky, all offenses, no matter the citing agency (state police or local agencies), go through the state court system.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.


golden eagle

Beats me. Given that my uncle drives for Greyhound, I'm sure he would know all the goings-on, whether it's first- or second-hand knowledge.  I don't have a reason to not trust what he said.

Captain Jack

In Indiana, a couple come to mind.

I-64 west of New Albany. The limit is kept at 55, even though the road gets quite rural. This is particularly tricky if you are westbound. You climb a lengthy grade, about a mile or so, once you reach the top, the area is rural and the highway appears to open up. State cops are regularly parked along this section, and will write for anything 60+. They have even added one of those nice "Hoosier Helper Patrol Zone" signs sponsored by the fine folks at State Farm.

The worst example I have seen in Indiana however, is along US 24 at Wolcott. The town has annexed just the roadway for about a mile or so to the east of town. There is a wide, sweeping curve, with a small diamond 30 MPH sign. The curve can easily be handled at 50+ and is still very rural. The town cop sits on this curve every night. I got written at 40. A lady at a convenience store in Wolcott told me about them annexing the curve.

ronaldlee11

Hanging Rock Ohio is the most notorious speedtrap in Ohio.

NE2

Quote from: Captain Jack on December 27, 2013, 07:56:04 PM
There is a wide, sweeping curve, with a small diamond 30 MPH sign.
Which is advisory, not regulatory. However, on the Goog, I see a normal speed limit sign heading westbound before the curve.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

formulanone

I noticed a lot of 25 mph speed limits - even a few 20s - in towns along US 27 in Indiana.

Seems a little low for a through route.

Duke87

25-30 in a town is normal regardless of whether the route is "through", if it's necessitated by the width of the road, number of driveways and side streets, blind corners, pedestrian traffic, etc.

That said, there are certainly places where the speed limit drops this low unnecessarily.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

Mr. Matté


formulanone

Quote from: Duke87 on December 28, 2013, 02:47:56 PM
That said, there are certainly places where the speed limit drops this low unnecessarily.

You almost never see that in Florida; 35 mph is a typical drop. Okeechobee is a rare example (25 on FL 70), and even then, it's not a sheer drop, but a gradual one. 25 is an example of a residential area speed limit, not a major thoroughfare limit; an exception could be made for a narrow road, sharp bends, limited sight distances, or uneven terrain.

Truvelo

I spotted one last week in Searchlight, NV. The speed limit is 75 for miles then drops in stages to 25 which seems excessively slow. It's hard to spot but there is a dark blue highway patrol car tucked away in this picture which is hardly visible to approaching traffic :banghead:

Speed limits limit life

AsphaltPlanet

^ On the right side of the street, somewhat adjacent to the school crossing warning sign?  Navy blue car?
AsphaltPlanet.ca  Youtube -- Opinions expressed reflect the viewpoints of others.

Truvelo

I had no idea it was a cop until I got closer then hastily put my camera down before he saw it. It wouldn't surprise me if it's a regular cash cow as it's tempting to ignore the 25mph limit. You'd stand no chance of slowing down in time once you can see the car.
Speed limits limit life

jeffandnicole

Quote from: Truvelo on February 15, 2014, 07:19:37 AM
I spotted one last week in Searchlight, NV. The speed limit is 75 for miles then drops in stages to 25 which seems excessively slow. It's hard to spot but there is a dark blue highway patrol car tucked away in this picture which is hardly visible to approaching traffic :banghead:



Speed limit is 335 mph.  Says so on the sign to the right.

cpzilliacus

Chevy Chase, Maryland - Md. 185 (Connecticut Avenue) northbound just north of Chevy Chase Circle (D.C. border).  There's an automated system in place there now, but just north of automated enforcement device, the Chevy Chase municipal cops (which have little else to do), are frequently on the lookout for other reasons to make a traffic stop.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

oscar

Carey, ID, on US 20/26/93.  As in many of the other examples above, very abrupt and unwarned drop in the speed limit from 55 to 25, at least coming from the northeast (which is the direction I almost always go into Carey, for some reason). 
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Brandon

Quote from: Truvelo on February 15, 2014, 12:58:40 PM
I had no idea it was a cop until I got closer then hastily put my camera down before he saw it. It wouldn't surprise me if it's a regular cash cow as it's tempting to ignore the 25mph limit. You'd stand no chance of slowing down in time once you can see the car.

There's a quick way to tell as you pass him.  If he's holding up a radar gun (or similar), to quote Admiral Ackbar, "It's a trap!".  If he's paying more attention to his computer and paperwork, he's just out of the way finishing something up.

This guy is easy (for me) to see there on the right.  He's even got the light bar.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Truvelo

Quote from: cpzilliacus on February 15, 2014, 09:22:22 PM
There's an automated system in place there now

If you place the streetview marker on the northbound side it shows a grey Gatso camera on a pole. Presumably the Gatso has been replaced by the green cabinet. There's also a green cabinet on the opposite corner of the junction. I wonder why the move to a stealthier looking device? Also why the new cameras are nearer to the ground making them easier to attack?
Speed limits limit life

jbnv

I-10 over the Atchafalaya Basin. 60 mph on the bridge; 70 mph before and after.

Also, LA 3235 in Golden Meadow, LA. 50 mph zone on a highway that is originally 65 mph.
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roadfro

Quote from: Truvelo on February 15, 2014, 07:19:37 AM
I spotted one last week in Searchlight, NV. The speed limit is 75 for miles then drops in stages to 25 which seems excessively slow. It's hard to spot but there is a dark blue highway patrol car tucked away in this picture which is hardly visible to approaching traffic :banghead:



It's pretty standard practice in Nevada for a rural highway to drop down to 25, 30 or 35mph when it enters a town. My observation is that District 1 (southern Nevada) tends to like 25mph, while District 2 (northwestern Nevada) tends to favor 30 or 35mph. (I think there is also some correlation between population and traffic levels in the town also as to whether the limit drops higher or lower, but cannot speak with certainty.) Whatever the case, there is always at least two intermediate stages in the drop before entering town limits, so you know you're getting down to a lower speed.

It looks like in the case of Searchlight, you have a significant portion of 65mph speed (where the divided highway transitions to a 4-lane w/ center turn) before it drops down to 45, 35 and 25mph, at least according to GMSV.

I'd actually agree that maybe 30 or 35 would be a little more reasonable for a town speed here, given the characteristics of the road.


I'm actually more surprised that the speed limit on US 95 is 75mph on the rural divided highway portion. You usually only see 75mph speeds on rural Interstates, so to have that on US 95 (which has at-grade intersections/driveways) is interesting. It must be new to the divided highway, cause the speed limit was only 70mph back when it was two-lane highway--must've been so the Hoover Dam truck detour along with the widening that prompted the increase.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

AMLNet49

Lowell Connector (formerly I-495 Business Spur) in Lowell, MA is one of the worst speed traps in New England.  Now the speed drop to 55 is for safety as the road is very dangerous, but that doesn't mean people follow it.  There are countless officers there every day and sometimes they have a system in which they communicate with each other and flag violators down.

hotdogPi

Quote from: AMLNet49 on February 26, 2014, 12:47:33 PM
Lowell Connector (formerly I-495 Business Spur) in Lowell, MA is one of the worst speed traps in New England.  Now the speed drop to 55 is for safety as the road is very dangerous, but that doesn't mean people follow it.  There are countless officers there every day and sometimes they have a system in which they communicate with each other and flag violators down.

That seems more like getting a ticket for unsafe driving.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Alps

Quote from: AMLNet49 on February 26, 2014, 12:47:33 PM
Lowell Connector (formerly I-495 Business Spur) in Lowell, MA is one of the worst speed traps in New England.  Now the speed drop to 55 is for safety as the road is very dangerous, but that doesn't mean people follow it.  There are countless officers there every day and sometimes they have a system in which they communicate with each other and flag violators down.
Hm, I've driven it a few times and never noticed this. Must only be during rush hours.

Pete from Boston


Quote from: Alps on December 08, 2013, 01:05:24 PM
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on December 07, 2013, 10:24:23 PM
I-84 on the CT/MA line (The Welcoming Committee) : CT and MA cruisers sit driver to driver, CT facing WB and MA facing EB on the border turnaround.
Never seen that, actually. I do see CT cops about 10 miles from the MA line, for EB drivers.


There is a barracks at Exit 70, a little over 10 miles from the Mass. line. 

Going east up to this point is a >1-mile downgrade that begins west of Exit 69.  Police sit around the Willington Rest Area and get drivers getting too comfortable picking up speed on that slope.  They can literally see you coming a mile away.

Going west, in the mile or so leading up to Exit 70, there are several curves with limited sight distance where they can get drivers unexpectedly, often pulling them over once again by the rest area.

Other than the standard state-line stakeout car, I don't see many more until approaching the Mass Pike, the Sturbridge run-up to which features rapidly declining speed limits and ticket opportunities.  Look for cops parked at Exit 3B hidden by the curve and overpass -- they make a lot of money off that speed drop just before the tolls.

Brandon

Quote from: hbelkins on December 26, 2013, 08:45:53 PM
Quote from: golden eagle on December 26, 2013, 07:40:47 PM
Union County, IL: I have an uncle who drives for Greyhound and he told me that if you get a ticket here, you have to pay your fines in person at a later date. This is done so that the county can collect revenue from people renting hotel rooms and eating in restaturants there.

What kind of court system does Illinois have that localities can set their own procedures for collecting fines for traffic law violations?

In Kentucky, all offenses, no matter the citing agency (state police or local agencies), go through the state court system.

They're home-rule municipalities.  Only home-rule municipalities can do that.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

rickmastfan67

Quote from: hbelkins on December 03, 2013, 10:52:26 AM
Summersville, WV, along US 19 is well-known.

The last several times I've passed by Summersville, I've seen 0 cops along US-19.  But I've been seeing more enforcement down in Fayetteville, WV (just South of the New River Gorge Bridge) as of late however along US-19 instead.



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