America's Worst Speed Traps

[Wayout]

America's Worst Speed Traps (part one)

Buzz Up! By Cindy Perman

If you've ever been pulled over for speeding, you know it feels like you're a
gazelle that just got taken down by a lion.

And, while this recession, and the gaping budget holes that resulted, have
turned most cities into a jungle for motorists, there are some cities that have
far more speed traps than others. And automated traffic cams have only egged
them on. Now, they can snag just as many motorists for speeding, if not more,
with less manpower.

It's hard to get this information from the police or the courts for two
reasons: 1) Many tickets are negotiated in court and 2) speed limits, while
originally designed to conserve fuel during the energy crisis of the 1970s,
have grown into a cash cow for states and municipalities-and they don't want
you to know how much they're making off of speeding tickets.

"Speed limits are supposed to be based on factual studies of traffic and what
the majority of motorists deem as a safe speed," said Chad Dornsife, director
of the Highway Safety Group. "Now, the posted limit has become a revenue
generator-not a safety device."

The National Motorists Association, a drivers' rights group, estimates that
speeding tickets are a $4.5 to $6 billion industry in America.

To be clear, speeding tickets aren't just for lead foots: In some places,
they'll ticket you for going one mile over the speed limit and others set the
speed limits artificially low.

"In some places, the average speed limit is set 10 to 15 miles below the actual
safe speed for conditions," Dornsife said. "It makes technical violators out of
people otherwise driving safely."
 

10. Los Angeles, California
Speed traps: 151

Los Angeles is a great example of speed limits not matching at all what traffic
patterns indicate is a safe speed-which is how they're supposed to be
determined.

Most of the speed traps are on the boulevards in the valley, my L.A.-based
colleague Jane Wells, who writes the Funny Business blog, says. "The speed
limit is 35 but if you actually drove that, you'd get mowed down!" Wells says.

Fines and surcharges for speeding or failing to have proof of insurance can
approach $1,400, the NMA reports. And good luck fighting a ticket in L.A. It's
always been tough, but with the city teetering on the brink of bankruptcy,
motorists don't have a chance.

"If you walk into a courtroom, because of the massive deficits at every level,
they can't let a breathing person walk out without taking their money!"
Dornsife said.
 

9. Chicago, Illinois
Speed traps: 153

Chicago now uses red-light cameras to nab motorists for running lights and
speeding, which increases the city's ticketing power. And, while, speed limits
are supposed to be determined by engineering studies, Dornsife notes that the
last study on one red light speed trap here was done in 1994 and the Department
of Transportation deemed the safest speed was 43 miles per hour. The posted
limit? 30.

Dorsnife notes two problems here: First, some of the traffic-control devices
are 20 and 30 years old. And second, on the interstates, local politicians
control the speed limits-and the enforcement in the courts. So, good luck
fighting a ticket.

Barnet studmuffinel, aka "The Ticket Doctor," noted one particularly tricky speed
trap: Motorists have to drive at a snail's pace leading up to the entrance to
Lake Shore Drive, which then opens up into a six-lane highway. A half-mile in
is the speed trap, where the speed limit is 40 and police nab drivers just as
they're starting to pick up speed. "Comparable divided highways carry higher
speed limits by as much as 10 to 20 mph more," he said.
 

8. Dallas, Texas
Speed traps: 156

Dallas is one of three Texas cities that made the top 10 for speed traps.

"Here's what happens in Texas: We have these safety standards that you have to
apply to make sure the speed limit is safe," Dornsife said. "They follow none
of them! They have what's called "home rule," which means they don't have to
follow federal law."

Dornsife said it's not uncommon here for tickets to be issued for drivers going
just a few miles over the speed limit, and they'll do things like set a "school
zone" two miles away from the school.

Also, good luck keeping up with fluctuations in the speed limit on a given
road. Dornsife recalls being at a DOT speed-limit conference and a presenter
from Dallas said there are sections of the freeway where the speed limit can
change three to four times within a few miles.

And speed limits can be changed arbitrarily: "Somebody stands up in a city
council meeting, say, a police officer with no training in traffic engineering
and proposes a speed-limit change and they vote on it," Dornsife said. "Traffic
engineers are supposed to decide what speed is safe-and law enforcement is
supposed to enforce it," he said. "Half of these cities don't have traffic
engineers."
 
(cont.)

[Wayout]

America's Worst Speed Traps (part two)

7. Orlando, Florida
Speed traps: 165

You're less likely to break the speed limit on your daily commute than you are
on vacation, where you're in a strange place and don't know the laws or the
speed traps, Dornsife says. So, Orlando, home of Disney World and Universal
Studios and Sea World, benefits from a steady stream of tourists-and revenue
from speeding tickets.

"Orlando definitely has speed traps," said Amy Mariani, a former traffic
reporter for Clear Channel Radio. Some of the worst ones, she said, are
Colonial Drive (State Route 50), where the speed limit constantly changes, the
Beachline (State Route 528) as motorists drive west from the airport (That's
right, they get you straight from the airport!) and I-4, especially downtown
near the Millenia Mall.

Plus, Dornsife says, Orlando was one of the early adopters for red-light
cameras-they were using them even before state laws allowed them to. In the
first three months, he says, the cameras here generated 700 tickets.

And, they're tough: One motorist noted on Speedtrap.org that officers on
motorcycles often snag motorists in a short school zone for doing three to four
miles over the speed limit.
 

6. Denver, Colorado
Speed traps: 165

Colorado, like Texas, has "home rule," where cities don't have to comply with
state laws. As a result, traffic on some roadways indicate 35 to 40 miles per
hour is safe and yet the speed limit has been set at 25, or 55 is safe and yet
the legal limit has been set at 40.

One Denver driver said that many roadways have been designed far bigger than
they need to be, which facilitates higher rates of speed. Then they post low
speed limits and BAM! They can snag you for a speeding ticket.

And they're tough: They have speed cameras everywhere, that resident said, and
they'll even nail you for going an inch over the line at a light.

Jayson Luber, the traffic reporter for 7News at ABC affiliate KMGH, said
officers will even wait for drivers riding in the exit lane who dart back into
other lanes at the last minute, and nab them for crossing a white line. He said
holiday weekends are the worst but police are out in full force year round.
 

5. Jacksonville, Florida
Speed traps: 175

Florida takes the prize for the state where motorists are most likely to get a
speeding ticket, according to a survey last year by the NMA.

One man told News4Jax.com that he wasn't surprised. "I probably passed 30 cops
on the way down here, so they were sitting there waiting to get everybody
that's for sure," he said.

Jacksonville, in particular, is known for speed traps where multiple drivers
are pulled over at once, often by unmarked police cars, and motorists can be
charged for going 5 mph over the limit. And, they get low marks on informing
motorists of the speed limits.

"Many of their streets are horribly underposted," Dornsife said of
Jacksonville. "Some of the signs they use there aren't even legal
devices-they're supposed to be a particular size, format and shape," he said.
 

4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Speed traps: 186

Remember, Colorado has "home rule," where municipalities don't have to follow
state laws, and Colorado Springs takes full advantage of it.

To their credit, they fully disclose how tough they are: They state publicly
that drivers will be penalized if they drive 1-4 miles over the speed limit, 5
to 9 miles over, 10 to 19 miles over, 20 to 39 miles over and 40 or more miles
over (Literally, they break it down that far). They also state that "one's
intent is irrelevant," which means they don't care if you didn't mean to speed,
had a broken speedometer or have oversized tires. These situations are "Not a
defense to speeding."

Colorado Springs drivers write on Speedtrap.org that often police use unmarked
vehicles. And, like Denver, wide roads are often slapped with a 25 mph limit
and entering the city from the southeast, one motorist notes, the speed limit
drops quickly from 55 to 25.
 

3. Las Vegas, Nevada
Speed traps: 187

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and tourists find out all too
soon that applies to speeding tickets as well!

Speed traps are common on the highways heading into and out of Las Vegas,
Dornsife said. Department of Transportation records indicate traffic could
handle 80 mph but a 70 mph zone is strictly enforced. Even side streets have
traffic stops, one motorist noted on Speedtrap.org.

Another motorist said he passed by an officer when he was driving north on
US-49 and the officer was going south. Three minutes later, the officer turned
around and pulled him over, clocking him doing 59 in a 55 when the driver
thought the speed limit was 60. The officer actually wrote him a ticket for 67,
saying he'd seen the driver speed up to 67 after passing him by!

Dornsife added that anytime there's a budget crisis, the number of tickets
written out seems to go up. And, good luck trying to fight them in court,
especially when the city is still struggling financially.
 

2. Austin, Texas
Speed traps: 189

The second entry from Texas in the top 10 is Austin, which one motorist
described as practically a police state. Remember that here, they have "home
rule," so municipalities don't have to follow state laws-and it seems they've
taken that invitation to go quite seriously off the script.

That motorist said he was ticketed for going three to four miles per hour over
the speed limit in a school zone, and when he was going 83 in an 80 mph zone.

There are serious speed traps at the northern and southern city limits,
motorists note on Speedtrap.org, with many noting that everyone they know seems
to have a couple of tickets. One woman wrote that she received a ticket and
took a driver's education course to eliminate it. A clerk called her a year
later and said the ticket was now a warrant and the fine had been increased.
Luckily, she had her paperwork to prove it had been eliminated. She also noted
that she'd seen three cars pulled over at once.
 

1. Houston, Texas
Speed traps: 373

And the winning city is from . Texas!

Seriously, the speed traps in Texas are so bad, Dornsife said, "any place in
Texas could be No. 1."

Drivers note on Speedtrap.org that there are traps set at the Houston city
limits and near attractions like the Astrodome. And, the speed limit can change
rapidly and dramatically. One motorist wrote that entering the city on Highway
59 North, the speed limit dropped suddenly to 55 from 70. Just as the motorist
noticed the speed-limit change on his GPS, BAM! There was a speed trap.

The number of tickets was even more staggering when the economy was bad: In
March of last year, KTRK Channel 13 found that Houston police officers wrote
about 3,000 tickets per day, or 147 an hour!

TrafficTicketSecrets.com says the average speeding ticket in the U.S. is about
$150. Multiply that out and that's $450,000 a day-and $14 million for the
month.

[ROX]

Nice additions to this thread would be worst local speed traps to you.

The Spring Break travel season is closing in and Summer vacation time will be here before we know it.

I live in a "spa" vacation area where 2 million tourists come every year--many spend their entire vacation time here...so here goes.  I hope I save you a few bucks (and points).


1)  Rockport, AR (I-30 and hwy 270 exit)  This is one of the worst in the state.  Rockport has like 800 residents and about 10 are uniformed police.  They are famous for ticketing drivers going only 2 or 3 mph over the limit.  They also have hiding spots everywhere along that 3 mile section of hwy 270.  Sometimes an unmarked semi trailer will show up for a few days on a side road right off the highway...hiding behind it?...a squad car running radar.  They have been sued numerous times and lost.  They have lost most of their state funding over the practice and don't care because they make more money off bogus tickets.  The "Fark?"...they also target latinos and out of state plates...reason being they will just pay the ticket rather than come all the way back to fight it.  They also target drivers going to and from Oaklawn horse track and double up patrols during the live racing season.  Dallas/FW, Little Rock, Memphis, and Pine Bluff drivers targeted there as well.

2)  Hot Springs MLK By-pass (hwy 270) 1 mile before the Albert Pike Road Exits.  I can see this from the mountain off my back deck.  State Troopers from Company "K" set up just on the other side of the road from Airport Road on the other side of the hill where the speed limit quickly goes from 65 to 45.  In their defense I DO see hundreds of cars & trucks a day going 65 or even 75 (BIG rigs especially) in that area and it's a fatal accident waiting to happen every day.  Drivers coming over the hill can't see the cruiser until it's WAY too late.  The ones doing 75 and 80 mph get hauled off to jail and their cars impounded.

3)  Same as above except at 270 MLK By-pass at the other end at hwy 70 and Westinghouse road.  Same deal except better hiding places.  Hwy 70 from Hot Springs to the Benton/Little Rock exit on I-30 is one solid speed trap targeting Oaklawn goers as well as people who work in Little Rock.  Always state troopers...near the rest stop is always their favorite hiding spot.

[flight17]

Interstate 19 in summerville West Virgina. Got pulled over there once in a tour bus but have seen people pulled over on the the entire stretch of 19 inbetween I79 and I77

[AWwrgwy]

RE: Austin.

It's not that bad. They don't pull you over for teeny speeding, as some places mentioned do. The speed limit is also not artificially lowered. 65mph mostly.

I've been saying for years that they are generating revenue and not enforcing safety. I always thought it was strange seeing County Sheriff motorcycle cops.

They definitely line I-35 north and south of Austin but the speed traps are the same place they've always been.

The best thing that ever happened for me was doing away with the national 55mph speed limit.


wrongway

[1sum41]

^^ but if you go north into Wilco.. then it gets absolutely horrible. 

[CAP1]

the proof is in the pudding with concern to speeding tickets.

yes, if you're over the limit, you're breaking the law. if officers truly wanted to lower the rate of motorists speeding, they would be more visible. 9 out of 10 people WILL slow down when they see a police cruiser.
 if the officer is hiding, or standing in a not very easily visible spot using radar to catch you speeding, he's not out to prevent you from speeding, but rather he's out to generate revenue. again, proof is that the person just ticketed will be back speeding within 1 mile of pulling out. should the police cruiser remain visible to him, he will not.

 

[AWwrgwy]

^^ but if you go north into Wilco.. then it gets absolutely horrible. 

That's what I'm talking about. They still aren't pulling people over for 67 in a 65.

Wilco is just bad RE: police and harsh Courts anyhow.


wrongway

[1sum41]

dude i hate living in wilco. the cops dont care about you at all here. i remember them telling us at our school that they were 10 times more likely to pull over high schoolers than any one else. because " yall just got your drivers licence you should know all the laws". 

[CAP1]

dude i hate living in wilco. the cops dont care about you at all here. i remember them telling us at our school that they were 10 times more likely to pull over high schoolers than any one else. because " yall just got your drivers licence you should know all the laws". 

most police these days do not care any more about you than the cashier at target does. it's a job. a job with great benefits when they retire. to others, it's that "superman" feeling they get from wearing the badge.

 there's still good ones....hell....great ones......but they're becoming fewer and farther between.

[branch37]

I was coming back from a concert in San Antonio with a friend of mine about a year ago at about 2 in the morning.  We were going up the ramp onto I-10 and theres literally zero people in sight.  My friend gets a ticked for changing lanes too fast. 

[MiloMorai]

See Rule #4

[Slash27]

See Rule #4

[1pLUs44]

Bertram Texas, worst speed trap I've ever seen. Speed limit goes from something like 65 or 55 to 35 2 or 3 miles before the town even starts.

And, as with 1Sum, I'm from WilCo myself. The saying around town goes "Welcome to Williamson County, come in on vacation, leave on probation." You get caught spitting on the side walk, you can expect a ticket.

[Dichotomy]

most police these days do not care any more about you than the cashier at target does. it's a job. a job with great benefits when they retire. to others, it's that "superman" feeling they get from wearing the badge.

 there's still good ones....hell....great ones......but they're becoming fewer and farther between.

^^^^^^^^
This X 10