why are all the best roads heavily 'monitored'? (pun intended)
Actually, 4 (Ebbetts), 89 (Monitor) and 108 (Sonora) aren't usually afflicted with much of a revenue collecting presence, at least not in their more eastern reaches where it's twisty. 88 (Carson) isn't too bad for that either, and what it does get is more often Alpine County Sheriff patrols east of Kirkwood, rather than CHP. Down closer to 49 on each of those (not Monitor, obviously) there is a greater likelihood of revenue collection efforts. Having lived in Tahoe and Gardnerville, I miss being able to take spur of the moment rides on Monitor and Ebbetts -- great times on great roads sans traffic and speed traps. (Guessing this is because, at least in the upper twisty reaches of these roads, there is so little traffic that they haven't been speed surveyed for the calculations necessary to justify the posted speed limits and avoid the speed trap defense in California when they're using radar or lidar. And I can't remember the last time I heard about a CHP officer writing a ticket that didn't involve the use of radar or lidar.)
50 is downright infested with CHP, as are 49 and 395. Also beware on Wentworth Springs Road for unannounced heavy CHP revenue collection days, usually on a weekend and mostly aimed at motorcycles, once it is a bit warmer and the road is known to be open all the way through. Worse, they are CHP, who almost never give anyone a warning or break on what they write. 120 (Tioga) is usually heavily patrolled by USFS Rangers, and they're not too forgiving, either. 49 between North San Juan and Sierra City can be well "monitored" with radar enforcement, as is 89 north of Graeagle and between Truckee and Meyers.
While not a "pass" route worth riding and something of a hijack, I'll throw in the dead bang certain location to get yerself a performance award if you want one: westbound I-80 just west of Applegate, most often focused on the stretch between the Meadow Vista and Dry Creek Road exits. It's a regular orgy of citation writing. I've seen as many as 5 or 6 CHP patrol cars there -- rotating the patrol cars from their last kill back to the starting line on the Meadow Vista on-ramp, while another sits in the shadow of the Meadow Vista overpass or thereabouts with his LIDAR and repeatedly drops the flag for the next-up patrol car to come out of the chute and pull over the next-up victim near the Dry Creek exit. Efficient, non-stop revenue collecting for hours on most days of the week, typically during the heaviest traffic hours of the morning and afternoon, but with Sunday afternoon returnees from Reno and Tahoe the most succulent of prey.
Hey, do you need a good lawyer?
I'm available! :blink:
Already got what there is of a defense formulated, just waiting for the notice in the mail (by my estimate, it'll be mid-September before I get a judgment). Sure hope I don't have to use the traffic school safety valve to avoid getting boned by the insurance industry on this one. I'd pay the undoubtedly substantial (73 in a 55) fine without further complaint or thought (except a renewed resolve NOT to do anything that might get me cited, like exceeding 55 while using a passing lane), if it weren't for the insurance industry hand in law enforcement glove that the process really involves. As it is, that was an expensive ride -- 10 gallons of gasoline, the time to deal with the citation and whatever bail and traffic school fees I end up tithing. It's getting so it's damn expensive even to ride anymore, and I sure don't need my MC and Auto insurers sticking me with a 40% surcharge for having one citation on my record. :glare:
To answer an earlier question, I have a radar detector but have never hooked it up (along with many electronic farkles still on my garage shelf) and have never used one on a motorcycle.
