June 30, 2006
Entrapment
We knew that speeding tickets were unusually common in the District, we knew that the city was making some decent bank off of the violations, and we even suspected racism, or at least wardism, in the placement of automated speed cameras. But just in case you leadfeet had begun to forget the danger of motoring quickly through D.C., we now have the National Motorists Association to remind us. From their website:
Nothing can ruin a vacation more quickly than an undeserved speeding ticket. As a public service, the National Motorists Association (NMA) has prepared a list of the top ten speed trap cities in the United States.In Detroit proper, the cops apparently have more serious things to deal with.All motorists would be well-advised to keep these locations in mind while driving this holiday.
1. Detroit, Michigan suburbs
2. Washington D.C.
3. Orlando, Fla.
4. Colorado Springs, Colo.
5. Houston, Tex.
6. Virginia Beach, Va.
7. Austin, Tex.
8. Baton Rouge, La.
9. Nashville, Tenn.
10. Fresno, Calif.
The NMA seems to define a speed trap as an area with, "arbitrarily low speed limits combined with heavy enforcement." We can't vouch for the enforcement part, but if the comments on this post are any indication, the average speed limit in this city is about 20 miles per hour too low.
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Having spent 25 years of my life living in the Detroit area, I can confirm that the police in the city of Detroit basically do not patrol the city freeways for speeding. The average speed on the freeways goes up 10-15 mph when you cross the suburban line into the city, and vice versa. I have often seen people flying down the freeways at 90-100 mph. It is just not a city priority, I guess.
DC's speeding cameras were installed primarily to punish commuters who kept asking Congress to defeat a commuter tax (who wants to pay taxes to a city so inept and corrupt?). They even LOWERED the speed limits on some routes first.
I recently got a ticket on 395 South near the Mass. Ave. ramp. It's ridiculous for the speed limit to be 45 - it is a broad highway with NO chance for pedestrians. Plus, the Mass. Ave. ramp is downhill and once you merge into the speeding traffic you have to actually be paying attention to keep your car below 45. My ticket was for $100 for going 65 in a 45. Definitely a speed trap. Simply a revenue builder, no one can make the argument that this will keep pedestrians safe.
For those who know where this camera is, people go from speeding to slamming on the brakes right before the camera, only to speed up again after the camera. Couldn't this fluctuation in speed of all vehicles actually be more dangerous than if the cars all stayed at the same speed?
Great idea. We've had 10 recent pedestrian deaths in DC and you'd like to raise the speed limit. And to support this assertion you rely on a bunch of angry folks who got caught speeding. Sounds rational.
Just a guess - I bet none of those pedestrians who died were on 395. Or if they were, they shouldn't have been.
DCist, you betray us. We urban dwellers do not want yahoos from the suburbs speeding through our intersections. We don't need higher speed limits, we need better enforcement. A speeding ticket for going over the speed limit is not an "undeserved" speeding ticket, it is a ticket for breaking the law.
And as for comments, 45 even on the freeways in DC is not too low (45 is too high on 15th street or Mass ave.!!). There a multiple exits in very close proximity on those freeways. Trying to merge into traffic and/or change lanes on these DC freeways is nearly impossible when the traffic around you is going 65. Where the h*ll are you all going so fast? Just leave 5 minutes earlier and we'll all get there alive.
Don't turn DCist into some pro-car, pro-commuter, anti-traffic control site, I could just re-up my AAA subscription is I wanted that.
Boo, I was just citing what other folks have said. I dislike the car culture, and not owning one myself, I'd be happy if things that ran on legs and rails ruled the road.
Thanks, Ryan.
I'll just keep noting that the highest land use by percentage in the general downtown area is for transportation, aka roads, which primarily serve commuters. If they can't comply with our safety, environmental, and quality of life laws, screw 'em.
Mark
Like Tuley, I recently got dinged for doing 60 in the 395 tunnel. These speed traps are particularly bad for people like me who use carsharing services and therefore rarely know where the speed traps are set up. So, next time you see a Zipcar or a Flexcar holding up the flow of traffic on major freeways in DC, that'll be me or one of my carsharing compeers, and you can thank your wise City Council for the delay.