Speed Traps back in action?

[Hawkins]

This is bad news for summer motorists already stung from high gas prices.

Apparently the "speed trap" designation is being lifted from Oklahoma towns.

I used to have to travel back and forth from Tulsa to Dallas, and I always hated the trip through southern Oklahoma for this reason.

The good people of Texas did get one thing right-- they built their highways around or over their small towns, not through them! It is extremely annoying to pull up to a stoplight in redneckville when trying to travel through the southern part of our state!

Now we'd better watch out! Its back to the dark ages of travel in Oklahoma.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0507/423485.html

--

[patric]

Looks like speed traps got the green light from our Legislature:

http://www.kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=127447

The speed traps argued that they should be able to write tickets inside their city limits -- never mind that these towns annex miles of highways (with little or no surrounding property) to make their city limits more profitable.

How did this corruption slip under the radar?

[DM]

Just dont speed. []

[grahambino]

http://newsok.com/article/3054677
[q]"I look at it as a user fee," he said. "If they're not speeding, they don't have to pay. I think what I did was speak up for law enforcement. People need to learn to obey those speeding signs and not pay the fines."[/q]

so, if everyone took his advice, then how will this law "help" anything?

[Hawkins]

As we've mentioned, the sad fact is that the highways run through the towns.

So setting the cruise control on 65 doesn't cut it. You have to pay attention to each little town you come up on, or whamo! You get hit for 65 in a 50 zone, or whatever they decide to post as you approach.

Its really lame, and it all changes when you cross the red river heading into Texas.

It gives Oklahoma a bad name.

[mspivey]

They will never take me alive.

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by DM

Just dont speed. []

That is fine in reasonable speed zones.

We're talking about podunk towns that drop the highway from 65 to 25 over the course of 100 feet, usually hidden around a curve or the sign behind a bush.   Redneck towns like this are just being corrupt scavenger leech-types, sucking money out of unsuspecting "city slickers" who happen to need to cross on the highway.   Texas did get it right.

Its almost worth just going a little out of your way to stay on interstate highways to go to Dallas - I-44 to OKC, I-35 to Dallas instead of going south on 69/75 through the sticks.

[rwarn17588]

I kinda like going through the sticks. []

This stuff about speed zones going from 65 to 25 in 100 feet ... are there truly any towns like this, or is it just hyperbole?

One town I'm familiar with -- Arcadia on Route 66 -- is vigilant about enforcing its 45 mph speed zone through town and is derided as a speed trap. But you've got people constantly going in and out of Hillbillee's restaurant and B&B and seeing the Round Barn. Plus Pops is going to open in a matter of weeks.

I've talked to the mayor there, and she says that people simply drive too fast through her town and she wants people to be safe. With all the tourists around, I'm inclined to agree.

So slow down.

[Wilbur]

The designation of a speed trap was always ridiculous anyway.  To be deemed a 'speed trap' city, more then 50% of your town's income has to come from traffic tickets.  Doesn't matter what the tickets are for.  They can all be for seatbelt violations, or no turn signals.  Not one has to come from speeding violations.

For a small town who has no designated sales tax, doesn't sell water, doesn't pick up trash, ......, traffic tickets are their only income.  But because they have a couple of motived police officers who write tickets, they get penalized.  Tulsa Police could be the worst cheaters in the world when it comes to traffic enforcement and they will never be deemed a 'speed trap' town because traffic ticket income will never even be close to 50% of the city's income.

So what are these small towns supposed to do?  Allow people driving ridiculously fast through their city and not be able to do anything about it?  Shows you where people put their priorities.  SAFETY BE DAMNED!

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

Doesn't matter what the tickets are for.  They can all be for seatbelt violations, or no turn signals.  Not one has to come from speeding violations.

Doesnt justifying ambush ticket-writing as a primary source of income detract from the moral high ground of fines being punishment for a crime?
Even Tulsa's FOP tried to distance itself from that when it went on record against John Eagleton's proposal to use increased citations to pay police.

[YoungTulsan]

I was exagerrating.  But surely there are restrictions on how quickly they can slow down highway traffic, and whatever those are, they drop the speeds as fast as they possibly can.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by patric

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

Doesn't matter what the tickets are for.  They can all be for seatbelt violations, or no turn signals.  Not one has to come from speeding violations.

Doesnt justifying ambush ticket-writing as a primary source of income detract from the moral high ground of fines being punishment for a crime?
Even Tulsa's FOP tried to distance itself from that when it went on record against John Eagleton's proposal to use increased citations to pay police.

I totally agree (and I'm against Eagleton's proposal).  What I am saying is, a small town whose only income is ticket writing, how do they avoid the 50% problem.  How do they avoid being labeled a speed trap (there is no such thing) when their only source of income is from tickets?

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur


So what are these small towns supposed to do?  Allow people driving ridiculously fast through their city and not be able to do anything about it?  Shows you where people put their priorities.  SAFETY BE DAMNED!

They purposely set the limits below what is reasonable.  Then they park a cop there with a radar gun pointed at you.  The Tulsa Police for the most part just pull people over for driving unreasonably fast or reckless.  If TPD is doing an actual "speed trap", they do it where there is already a reasonable speed limit.  Like 40mph down Lewis or 65mph down the BA.  You are at fault if you think you have to drive 80mph on the BA.   But unsuspectingly driving 35mph through some hick town because they put a 25mph zone in for no good reason, thats not right.  And those places will get you for doing 27 in a 25.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by YoungTulsan

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur


So what are these small towns supposed to do?  Allow people driving ridiculously fast through their city and not be able to do anything about it?  Shows you where people put their priorities.  SAFETY BE DAMNED!

They purposely set the limits below what is reasonable.  Then they park a cop there with a radar gun pointed at you.  The Tulsa Police for the most part just pull people over for driving unreasonably fast or reckless.  If TPD is doing an actual "speed trap", they do it where there is already a reasonable speed limit.  Like 40mph down Lewis or 65mph down the BA.  You are at fault if you think you have to drive 80mph on the BA.   But unsuspectingly driving 35mph through some hick town because they put a 25mph zone in for no good reason, thats not right.  And those places will get you for doing 27 in a 25.

Traffic engineers determine the speed limits of roads, not police.  And for these state highways everyone is talking about, it is the Dept of Transportation, not Podunk's Mayor, who determines a speed limit.

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

quote:Originally posted by YoungTulsan

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur


So what are these small towns supposed to do?  Allow people driving ridiculously fast through their city and not be able to do anything about it?  Shows you where people put their priorities.  SAFETY BE DAMNED!

They purposely set the limits below what is reasonable.  Then they park a cop there with a radar gun pointed at you.  The Tulsa Police for the most part just pull people over for driving unreasonably fast or reckless.  If TPD is doing an actual "speed trap", they do it where there is already a reasonable speed limit.  Like 40mph down Lewis or 65mph down the BA.  You are at fault if you think you have to drive 80mph on the BA.   But unsuspectingly driving 35mph through some hick town because they put a 25mph zone in for no good reason, thats not right.  And those places will get you for doing 27 in a 25.

Traffic engineers determine the speed limits of roads, not police.  And for these state highways everyone is talking about, it is the Dept of Transportation, not Podunk's Mayor, who determines a speed limit.

That suprises me.  Im making assumptions based on what I think makes sense.

So the DOT sets speed limits.  Perhaps it is the Podunks who decide to put a school cross-walk on a busy highway?  Then lo-and-behold the DOT has to lower the speed limit?   Or maybe someone gets a kickback for setting speed traps?  You are positing that actual engineers set them based on strict calcuable conditions?