Pasadena speed trap "twist"?

[Rum Runner]

Since this thread has totally derailed and has nothing to do with the OP's question which I can't answer, I will add the following:

1) Speed limits are bullshit. At best they are designed for the lowest common denominator meaning a combination of a below average driver in a street legal but barely safe car. Why in the hell should even average drivers in well maintained/recent model cars be punished and especially better drivers in modern sports cars?
2) Being that I am middle aged, I tend to not speed nearly as much as I did when I was young, but if I am not paying attention and get a ticket, I take it like a man and accept that I was not following the rules.
3) I think having cops deal with speeding tickets is a total waste of taxpayer money. It pisses people off and increases animosity towards law enforcement. It is a complete waste of the training/knowledge/experience of a LEO to have to deal with something so petty. So either privatize it, deploy more photo radar, put governors in cars, whatever. Traffic violations like speeding are not treated as crime. Why are the cops even involved? Get the cops involved in crime rather than being nannys.

 

[Dawico]

So there would be a reduction because of less need, not because of funding? But still, where does the extra revenue from tickets go?

 

[Mic]

In many places the fines collected do not cover the cost of police, police cars, courts, buildings to house these folks.

It without a shadow of a doubt, boyscout or not, is not about revenue. Anyone who thinks it is is simply uninformed/ignorant to the facts.

Texascop2 - I'm not sure whether it is revenue neutral or a money-maker, but I've always sensed it is about money. But this part of your argument doesn't seem to hold. Governments need police, cars, courts, and buildings for what I consider the core function (and what I consider to be the very honorable) of what police do: protect people from others who would try to harm them. I'm sure that's not a full time job for all the people they have (in other words, they have to have a good number of people for when the poop hits the fan), but that would mean a lot of these people have nothing to do in the interim.

Of course, they can present a presence in the community and sit around collecting money from speeders.

My big problem is that we have these laws that I would estimate 90 or more percent of the population (or more) violate on at least a weekly basis. That means to me that these laws aren't really respected by the people. It also means that police will allow people to routinely violate the law and that the real speed limit is whatever a cop is willing to pull people over for. This means we have arbitrary real speed limits up to the whim of the officer at the time. Our speed limits are also pretty varying - on some roads, my comfort level is at the limit (usually in neighborhoods, around schools, etc). On others, think SH130, the 70mph speed limit is quite a bit below where traffic can safely proceed.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[CZ guy]

There is one off ramp on beltway 8 in deer park that the limit on the belt is 65 and the ramp is posted at 35 (not the yellow suggested sign but the black and white) and the local PD sits on that ramp right around the corner less than 50 feet from the start of the ramp radaring exiting traffic just to give out tickets. That is what people refer to as a speed trap.

The real definition of a speed trap, as it was intended originally, was an area where the speed limit posted is lower than a speed study indicates is necessary. Today it means any place someone gets caught breaking the law.

Sarge, Beltway 8 doesn't run through Deer Park. You are either referring to Pasadena or Pct 8 constables.

I personally could care less about how much money the city/county/state receives from tickets. It takes money to run a city; building roads, providing water, trash pickup, vehicle maintenance.... if taxes fall short I like the idea of lawbreakers subsidizing the general fund. If you don't want to take part, match the numbers on the signs with your speedometer. It is amazingly simple.

 

[Charlie]

Ya know, whether it's a revenue thing or a safety thing is irrelevant! All you have to do is stay at or around the speed limit and it becomes a non issue. It ain't rocket surgery!

 

[Texan2]

Texascop2 - I'm not sure whether it is revenue neutral or a money-maker, but I've always sensed it is about money. But this part of your argument doesn't seem to hold. Governments need police, cars, courts, and buildings for what I consider the core function (and what I consider to be the very honorable) of what police do: protect people from others who would try to harm them. I'm sure that's not a full time job for all the people they have (in other words, they have to have a good number of people for when the poop hits the fan), but that would mean a lot of these people have nothing to do in the interim.

Of course, they can present a presence in the community and sit around collecting money from speeders.

My big problem is that we have these laws that I would estimate 90 or more percent of the population (or more) violate on at least a weekly basis. That means to me that these laws aren't really respected by the people. It also means that police will allow people to routinely violate the law and that the real speed limit is whatever a cop is willing to pull people over for. This means we have arbitrary real speed limits up to the whim of the officer at the time. Our speed limits are also pretty varying - on some roads, my comfort level is at the limit (usually in neighborhoods, around schools, etc). On others, think SH130, the 70mph speed limit is quite a bit below where traffic can safely proceed.

Just my 2 cents.

You make valid points.

My point is that it is not the money maker people assume. And big cities have traffic divisions just for traffic related laws. It is a slippery slope. It would be easy to remove cops from traffic duty but I know that nobody here would like the result. Who wants to tell a bunch of high school kids or rednecks at the race track to drive on our roads however they see fit...no reprecussions? Not a pretty picture.

 

[txinvestigator]

Speed limits in most areas are not about revenue. YOU may be able to control your car at a high speed (most of you reading this are not trained and cannot) but add other cars going at different speeds and you create problems. Deadly ones.

To the alleged ex cop here; why were 80% of your tickets for revenue? Did you work on commission or a bonus plan? In didn't. I could not have cared less about revenue when I issued a ticket.

As has been stated, revenue from traffic tickets is such a miniscule part of a city's budget it is not even a factor.

The roadways need laws. Oney them, please.

 

[TexMex247]

I also think it is very important to "oney" all traffic signs.

 

[CZ guy]

I also think it is very important to "oney" all traffic signs.

TXI is just like all the others here that are married. It is just really hard to say "Obey" and we try our best to delete that word from our vocabulary.

My bride remembers it though.....