Revenue Speed Zones

[Derek]

yesterday i crossed the border and drove to spokane. on my way home i set the cruise at 70 in a 60 and put on the tunes. several of the folks behind me were clearly upset that i was only doing 70 and flew by me at every passing opportunity. the officer that nabbed me, i suspect was quite happy that i was speeding thus helping him make his quota.

don't get me wrong. i was speeding ang got nailed fair and square. but when i got back to work one of my staff asked if it was in stevens county. she got nailed in the same spot, when i went to the bank today to get the bank draft the teller told me about getting nailed in the same place doing 65 in a 60. she says that the washington plates were flying past her the same as they were with me.

i'm sure they write plenty of tickets to washington residents as well. but it does sound like maybe they favor ticketing the canadian plates. i expect the reverse is probably also true here in canada.

anyway, what this thread was supposed to be was a suggestion for us to list the revenue producing speed zones in our own backyards so that we can consult the list after we plan our trips this season and we can watch out for the traps.

stevens county, washington hwy 395

hwy 3 between grandforks and christina lake, b.c. ghost cars

derek

 

[Ignacio]

I would suggest adding your information to the best site I've found for Speed Traps. Sorry about that. I've found Washington State Patrol usually the most professional of our law enforcement in Washington. But, I think the new director has excessively going after speeders the past year or two.

 

[Blue Meanie]

Heading west on Hi Way 90, through Sprague, WA, I guarantee no discrimination - they bust everyone! Most importantly, they use Laser radar while waiting over the crest of a hill (When I crested the hill, the V-1 went absolutely nuts -but it was too little, too late).

Be Careful in that area!!!

 

[Dudewado]

A few miles N. of Eugene, Oregon on I-5. The small town of Coburg(Pop. 969) has made a fortune (approx. $750,000/yr). They got into trouble because they were taking the tickets to their court and keeping all the fines. Since that stretch of I-5 wasn't in the city limits, they were supposed to take them to district court and split the fines. The Oregon legislature passed the "Coburg Law" that prohibited locals from keeping fines generated outside of city limits. So, they annexed a small piece of property across I-5 and are back in business.

John

 

[Just Plain Dave]

I would suggest adding your information to the best site I've found for Speed Traps.  Sorry about that.  I've found Washington State Patrol usually the most professional of our law enforcement in Washington.  But, I think the new director has excessively going after speeders the past year or two.

They list almost 500 speed traps in Texas. Why not just say Texas is a speed trap? I can name a minimum of 7 on this list within 20 miles of my residence that I travel through regularly (at least weekly) and have not heard of any of them being "speed traps," except by those who constantly drive 15mph+ over the speed limit. I always set my cruise at 5-7 mph above the posted limits and have not been stopped for the last 25 years. There are about 50 speed traps listed in Delaware and Rhode Island. The two states combined aren't big enough to make a city park.

Apparently everyone that gets a ticket anywhere thinks they were wrongly ticketed in a speed trap. Hey, if you are doing 90mph in a 70mph zone and get a ticket, it doesn't mean you are in a speed trap, it means the local constabulary is doing their job.

 

[Ignacio]

Apparently everyone that gets a ticket anywhere thinks they were wrongly ticketed in a speed trap. Hey, if you are doing 90mph in a 70mph zone and get a ticket, it doesn't mean you are in a speed trap, it means the local constabulary is doing their job.

There's variation on the connotation of term "speed trap" and they're actually illegal given the denotation of the term in Washington State.

I think of speed traps also include those areas that cops habitually hang out and nab speeders....maybe even more than them being sneaky.

I just don't have respect for a cop using laser. It's like hunting a lion with an RPG. There's no sport in it.

 

[C&C]

A speed trap in my definition (which I believe is correct) is where speed is being monitored unfairly. By this I mean on a stretch of road clearly marked at one speed and either through deception, or a physical impossibility reduced to a speed not attainable, then monitored and unfairly enforced. Deception could include a reduced speed, displayed but not easily discerned, as in, on a curve, over a hill, cluttered with multiple other road signs, sign in disrepair, etc. Physical impossibility could include going from a 60 mph to 35 mph in a too short of time, again; around a curve, over a hill, etc. These are the type enforcements that need to be identified and corrected; they in fact, are illegal and should be removed.

 

[Fallen Jim Rides again]

Good def, C&C. What about the little towns that annex a bit of near by highway, post a different speed along that bit of hwy, usually 10 or 15 lower and for no apparent reason (no unusual crossroads or business's or schools or such) and then hire a police dept that pretty much does nothing but monitor that patch of road for the purpose of writing tickest/generating revenue? Cuz, I know of more than a few of those places, one of which is spitting distance from my house. Heck two of the small towns are argueing over annexing the last bit of hwy between their limits (where I live) and both try to write tickets in the unincorporated portion. Neither provides any other service to that same area. Bah!

 

[fjr]

Derek,

Last year I spent four weeks riding in Cnada and only saw two police cars (one braking up a fight and one parked). I returned to the states via Washington and was stopped twice the first day. There was a motorcycle rally and I think they were "out" for mcs. The second stop was for speeding which a well prepared lawyer had dismissed. The speeding ticket was issued by a guy standing at the top of a hill with a left hand curve. You couldn't have paid me enough to stand there! He also failed to ticket the SUV that was tailgating me. Oh well. Washington state is not on my vacation list this year. fjr

 

[panthercity]

I just don't have respect for a cop using laser. It's like hunting a lion with an RPG. There's no sport in it.

Law enforcement is not a sport.

 

[sparky3008]

I would suggest adding your information to the best site I've found for Speed Traps.  Sorry about that.  I've found Washington State Patrol usually the most professional of our law enforcement in Washington.  But, I think the new director has excessively going after speeders the past year or two.

They list almost 500 speed traps in Texas. Why not just say Texas is a speed trap? I can name a minimum of 7 on this list within 20 miles of my residence that I travel through regularly (at least weekly) and have not heard of any of them being "speed traps," except by those who constantly drive 15mph+ over the speed limit. I always set my cruise at 5-7 mph above the posted limits and have not been stopped for the last 25 years. There are about 50 speed traps listed in Delaware and Rhode Island. The two states combined aren't big enough to make a city park.

Apparently everyone that gets a ticket anywhere thinks they were wrongly ticketed in a speed trap. Hey, if you are doing 90mph in a 70mph zone and get a ticket, it doesn't mean you are in a speed trap, it means the local constabulary is doing their job.

It irritates me in that as a driver I see that "EVERYONE" yes everyone on the road is doing 80 in a 55 and only a few get caught. While driving along coming up on known traps we are ALL doing way over the limit and then the ones of us that travel those roads everyday slow down coming up on the crest.

On days when no cops are out it cuts my commute down by at least 10 minutes.

This cause more breaking and more problems than speeding itself.

If everyone is doing 80 to me the limits are just too damn slow...

I know our cars are geared to get the best mileage at 55 or so but that can be changed so is not a "reason".

Cops don't prevent anything, they only show up after a crime. HAve your car busted into, house broken into, place of business broken into, robbed on the street, car jacked just once and see if you feel that the cops are preventing jack.

State troopers sitting on a highway getting money for the state are 2 less bodies that could be patrolling housing residents, commercial districts and having their presents known in places to stop crime...

Tickets are a scam, racket, BS, and then the cops have the nerve to be upset with you like you are scum. Like he/she drives so much better and when they do 90 down the road they are perfectly safe because they are a cop. WHATever.

And this comes from a son of 2 cops that use to have the entire department over every summer for Bar-B-Ques. nothing against cops but this part of the job is just down right stupid... I have ridden enough with my mom and dad to know they are no super car drivers believe me.

Last report for one of the biggest Drunk Driving Days around Maryland (Super Bowl) the radio was talking about how they caught 80 people. Big Wow. You could get 80 people sitting outside of a bar any night, and when the cops didn't want a certain bar to operate where I grew up they sat outside it for weeks getting people and eventually the bar didn't have business.

Cops aren't suppose to have ticket quotas but we all know they do. Look at the times of the month that activity in your area is the greatest. End of month...

 

[Ignacio]

Hey there Sparky. You're coming very close to a political rant. Please take her down a notch lest the thread get closed.

 

[sparky3008]

Hey there Sparky.  You're coming very close to a political rant.  Please take her down a notch lest the thread get closed.

Sorry wasn't thinking of it that way.

Besides the topic itself has and the first post for that matter is political if technical, I just took it to the rant stage

 

[fjr]

And while you are at it Sparky, watch out for this one...

 

[sparky3008]

And while you are at it Sparky, watch out for this one...

If I saw that I would just crap myself. I have had guns pointed at me but that's just crazy :lol: