Speed Enforcement in Virginia

[webny99]

Personally, take a road like the Thruway, early on a clear  summer morning with light traffic. There's basically no bounds! I wouldn't consider 100 mph to be reckless at all in those circumstances - maybe not sustained, but there's nothing inherently reckless about hitting any particular speed. It all depends on the context.

[stevashe]

Another attempt to raise the Reckless Driving limit from 80mph to 85mph is being made.

https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=201&typ=bil&val=sb63

The Senate passed the bill yesterday.

https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2020/01/virginia-could-ditch-jail-time-for-drivers-going-81-mph-in-a-70-mph-zone/

Hopefully it will properly continue and pass the House as well, but more than likely it won't.

Looks like it passed the house as of yesterday! Sanity has prevailed.

[cpzilliacus]

Regardless of what the legal provisions of the Code of Virginia (or similar county or municipal ordinances) are when it comes to "reckless driving by speed," I think it's important to realize that not every person that gets stopped for breaking the posted limit by 21 MPH or more is going to get banged with a reckless driving summons. 

The person that gets stopped by a VSP blue and grey car for driving 77 MPH where the posted limit is 55 MPH stands a much better chance of getting the reckless driving ticket if they are a jerk or if conditions are bad (such as a construction work zone or rain).  But there are times when the trooper will only issue a regular speeding ticket for that violation. 

On the other hand, the guy going 120 MPH or more on a Suzuki Hayabusa (or similar) "crotch rocket" motorcycle will get the reckless driving ticket and probably a ride to the local jail on top of that.  Unlike some law enforcement agencies, VSP will give chase in such situations.

I do not drive much over the posted limit in Virginia or elsewhere (I live across the creek in Maryland and drive a lot in the Commonwealth), and one thing I have noticed is that the strict speed limit enforcement is at its worst in smaller municipalities like the City of Falls Church, Town of Haymarket, City of Hopewell (home to the I-295 speed trap); Town of Tappahannock; City of Emporia and the tiny Towns of Newsoms in Southampton County and Eastville in Northampton County.

I have related here someplace that I angered the cops in Bridgeville, Delaware when DE-404 used to run through the town (it now bypasses) by deliberately slowing to well under the posted limit of 25 MPH.  Same method can be used with the City of Falls Church municipal police - I had one get behind me after seeing my Maryland tags (I saw him before he saw me because I am always keeping a watch out for such things in Falls Church) and was already going about 20 MPH.  He followed me for several blocks getting  visibly irritated at my slow pace, and finally made a left to look for some other mark (without signaling the turn, which in Virginia is at least in theory reckless driving).

[hbelkins]

If a cop got upset with you for driving at or below the posted speed limit, that blows a hole in the concept that speed enforcement is about safety and not revenue generation.

[cpzilliacus]

If a cop got upset with you for driving at or below the posted speed limit, that blows a hole in the concept that speed enforcement is about safety and not revenue generation.

In Falls Church, in addition to the "regular" speeding fines, there are signs posted on most blocks that a speeding in a "residential zone" (which is most of the city) will result in an added fine of $200, which is probably intended to be collected for deposit in to the city general fund.

[oscar]

If a cop got upset with you for driving at or below the posted speed limit, that blows a hole in the concept that speed enforcement is about safety and not revenue generation.

In Falls Church, in addition to the "regular" speeding fines, there are signs posted on most blocks that a speeding in a "residential zone" (which is most of the city) will result in an added fine of $200, which is probably intended to be collected for deposit in to the city general fund.

I've seen a few such signs in Arlington (except just stating the extra penalty, without the "residential zone" language), especially on S. Carlin Springs Rd.

[1995hoo]

Fairfax City has those signs too: "SPEEDING" in black-on-yellow, then a separator line, then "ADDITIONAL $200 FINE" in black-on-white. Example on Roberts Road linked below (pan the image if needed–Sreet View on an iPad sometimes yields unpredictable results). This is the sign I see the most often because my dentist is around the corner from there on Main Street and I usually use Roberts to head home rather than making a U-turn on Main.

https://goo.gl/maps/zEHEkcG6Q3RVJhZ67

[MASTERNC]

Fairfax City has those signs too: "SPEEDING" in black-on-yellow, then a separator line, then "ADDITIONAL $200 FINE" in black-on-white. Example on Roberts Road linked below (pan the image if needed–Sreet View on an iPad sometimes yields unpredictable results). This is the sign I see the most often because my dentist is around the corner from there on Main Street and I usually use Roberts to head home rather than making a U-turn on Main.

https://goo.gl/maps/zEHEkcG6Q3RVJhZ67

Think localities can create zones like that on residential streets with higher speeding fines.  I've seen them elsewhere in the state.

[cpzilliacus]

Fairfax City has those signs too: "SPEEDING" in black-on-yellow, then a separator line, then "ADDITIONAL $200 FINE" in black-on-white. Example on Roberts Road linked below (pan the image if needed–Sreet View on an iPad sometimes yields unpredictable results). This is the sign I see the most often because my dentist is around the corner from there on Main Street and I usually use Roberts to head home rather than making a U-turn on Main.

https://goo.gl/maps/zEHEkcG6Q3RVJhZ67

I know the main arterial highways in the City of Fairfax pretty well, but do not think I have ever noticed those before.  Fairfax [city] used to have a typical "small-town Virginia" reputation regarding speeding, but it seems to have been toned-down in recent years. 

Fairfax County can have strict speed limit enforcement, but because the land area of the county is huge, there do not seem to be predictable places where county police speed limit enforcement takes place - save for one - VA-286 (Fairfax County Parkway) between VA-123 (Ox Road) and I-66 where drivers seem to drive on it as if it were a freeway (it is definitely not - it is (at least informally) an expressway).

[sprjus4]

save for one - VA-286 (Fairfax County Parkway) between VA-123 (Ox Road) and I-66 where drivers seem to drive on it as if it were a freeway (it is definitely not - it is (at least informally) an expressway).

The segment from Popes Head Rd to I-66 is built to full freeway standards.

The remainder is free-flowing limited access highway with a few minor at-grade intersections, plus one traffic signal at Burke Centre Pkwy, then a short segment of full freeway standard highway to past the VA-123 interchange.

The speed limit should be increased from 50 mph to at least 55 mph.

The ultimate goal should be of course widening to 6 lanes and eliminating the remaining at-grade intersections, replacing them with interchanges or overpasses, and providing a full 60 mph freeway between I-95 and I-66, though that will never obviously happen.

[1995hoo]

Gov. Allen wanted to raise the speed limit on the Fairfax County Parkway to 65 mph, but that proposal never got anywhere and it's never been revived by any subsequent governor. The funny thing is, back then it might have been more viable than it would be now, even though the road hasn't changed all that much except for the segment through Fair Lakes. There's so much more traffic now that the combination of the traffic lights with, in some places, limited visibility as you approach a light (example: southbound approaching Burke Centre Parkway) makes 65 non-viable, setting aside the General Assembly's overall practice of not allowing anything above 60 mph on roads with at-grade intersections. I'd say Route 123 south of the Parkway down to Lorton could easily support a higher speed limit than most of the Parkway could.

Fairfax City has those signs too: "SPEEDING" in black-on-yellow, then a separator line, then "ADDITIONAL $200 FINE" in black-on-white. Example on Roberts Road linked below (pan the image if needed–Sreet View on an iPad sometimes yields unpredictable results). This is the sign I see the most often because my dentist is around the corner from there on Main Street and I usually use Roberts to head home rather than making a U-turn on Main.

https://goo.gl/maps/zEHEkcG6Q3RVJhZ67

I know the main arterial highways in the City of Fairfax pretty well, but do not think I have ever noticed those before.  Fairfax [city] used to have a typical "small-town Virginia" reputation regarding speeding, but it seems to have been toned-down in recent years. 

Fairfax County can have strict speed limit enforcement, but because the land area of the county is huge, there do not seem to be predictable places where county police speed limit enforcement takes place - save for one - VA-286 (Fairfax County Parkway) between VA-123 (Ox Road) and I-66 where drivers seem to drive on it as if it were a freeway (it is definitely not - it is (at least informally) an expressway).

Fairfax City also has those signs on Burke Station Road, though not all of that road lies within the city limits. (My mom lives in the county not too far to the east of there, so I use that road periodically.) Off the top of my head, I can't say whether any roads in the city other than Roberts and Burke Station have those because I just haven't spent as much time in Fairfax City recently, much less on the roads other than Route 236 or Pickett Road. (Speaking of Pickett, I remember the year after I graduated from high school, I was home from college for the summer and working downtown. One morning I was headed to the Vienna Metro to go to work and I passed someone who'd been stopped for speeding. I glanced over as I passed and saw the driver who had been stopped was my high school guidance counsellor at Woodson–FCPS hadn't let out for the summer yet and she was on her way to work when she got stopped. Surprised me because back then Pickett Road was known for being one with a fair amount of speed enforcement.)

As far as speed enforcement on the Fairfax County Parkway goes, one place I frequently see a cop is at the T-intersection with Hooes Road just east of the Pohick Road interchange–if you're headed west/northbound towards Burke, you just came out of that cut underneath Sydenstricker and Gambrill Roads and then dropped down a hill across an overpass above a stream. Very easy to go very fast there. I usually set my cruise control at 55 and stay in the right lane because I see a cop there so often. Been that way for years–in the early 1990s, a friend of mine in college lived near there and I gave him a lift home once (he didn't have a car) and he warned me about it. Hasn't changed since then.

A few times recently I've seen a cop sitting in the trees just west of the interchange with Frontier Drive clocking westbound drivers, as it's not unusual to see 70+ mph there.

[sprjus4]

Gov. Allen wanted to raise the speed limit on the Fairfax County Parkway to 65 mph, but that proposal never got anywhere and it's never been revived by any subsequent governor. The funny thing is, back then it might have been more viable than it would be now, even though the road hasn't changed all that much except for the segment through Fair Lakes. There's so much more traffic now that the combination of the traffic lights with, in some places, limited visibility as you approach a light (example: southbound approaching Burke Centre Parkway) makes 65 non-viable, setting aside the General Assembly's overall practice of not allowing anything above 60 mph on roads with at-grade intersections. I'd say Route 123 south of the Parkway down to Lorton could easily support a higher speed limit than most of the Parkway could.

I can just imagine a 65 mph parkway, yet a rural road in the middle of nowhere still 60 mph.

They need to raise the maximum speed limit allowed on roads with at-grade intersections to 65 mph for rural areas at least.

The Parkway could reasonably be 55 mph in most places though.

[cpzilliacus]

save for one - VA-286 (Fairfax County Parkway) between VA-123 (Ox Road) and I-66 where drivers seem to drive on it as if it were a freeway (it is definitely not - it is (at least informally) an expressway).

The segment from Popes Head Rd to I-66 is built to full freeway standards.

That is only about 3.5 miles.

The remainder is free-flowing limited access highway with a few minor at-grade intersections, plus one traffic signal at Burke Centre Pkwy, then a short segment of full freeway standard highway to past the VA-123 interchange.

Are you familiar with the at-grade signalized intersection at VA-644 (Old Keene Mill Road)?  There have been more than a few bad crashes there.

The speed limit should be increased from 50 mph to at least 55 mph.

I disagree, though some sections could probably be increased to 55.

The ultimate goal should be of course widening to 6 lanes and eliminating the remaining at-grade intersections, replacing them with interchanges or overpasses, and providing a full 60 mph freeway between I-95 and I-66, though that will never obviously happen.

There are sections of VA-286 where that will be difficult.  Just one of them is from Rolling View Drive to VA-636 (Hooes Road).