Hey, it was Iowa. They used to get you going 60 in a 55 on the interstate. Only place I ever got a fixit ticket for a high beam out. They’re the ones that in Cedar Rapids they had speed cameras on the interstate going through town and Sioux City. Got so bad that South Dakota refused to provide them with names and addresses of SD drivers getting photographed. And don’t carry too much cash or they might think you’re a drug dealer.
Another waste of resources, in my opinion. They should be going after those jerks that are weaving in and out, cutting people off, flashing their high beams, things like that, versus harassing somebody who’s going 60, which is still kind of slow, if you ask me, at least on the freeway
And I suppose all that revenue generated by speeders was supposed to fund just about every operation in the state . . . ?!
When I read about stuff like that, I can almost understand why some people tell the officer issuing them a citation “I am your boss” or “I pay your salary”
55mph freeway speed limit is outrageous in my opinion. Rational people are capable of driving 65 - 75 without being a menace to others on the road. Slow drivers can stay in the right lane . . .
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Well that was back in the old days when the feds mandated 55. They are now at 70 and South Dakota is 80 which is plenty fast. Indianapolis is 55 though except for the Speedway. I was reminded.
70 is okay in my book
80 seems a little bit fast, depending on the vehicle and how comfortable the driver is at that speed
And when I say depending on the vehicle, I’m primarily talking about underpowered vehicles . . . relative to the typical vehicle on the road nowadays
So for my 1994 Toyota Tercel . . . which is long gone . . . 80 would be pushing it, in my opinion
And some vehicles can attain the speed, but it’s not really a good idea. The Tercel didn’t handle that well at that speed, nor were the brakes particularly impressive, for that matter
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Around here, if you’re doing 80, the cops blow past you whipping you the bird. Seriously, i have had cops pass me doing 80. 80 to 85 keeps up with fast lane traffic on the expressway. And these are not going through Iowa farm country. I95 headed into Boston…
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That was after Homer had to use the restroom instead of waiting for the parking officer, then snapped after a $250 fine for not waiting. They never said how much the windshield full of tickets added up to.
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It’s a stretch to even call it staged. That is NOT a parking wheel-clamp. That’s just a lightweight trailer wheel lock.
But I guess it’s fooled everyone here.
Yep we’re a bunch that is easily fooled.
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We have learned all that we need to know about parking enforcement boots by watching The Simpsons.
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I’m not so sure this is a law enforcement issue. It’s in a parking lot. It could have been installed at the behest of the owner of the property. I’ve seen it happen in Boston a few times at some of the private garages. They call the police to clamp the vehicle so it can’t leave - usually because it’s been there a while.
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I remember right after moving to LA in the early 70s and a buddy and me decided to go up on the Sunset Strip.
While on the freeway (with little traffic for some reason) a CHP cruiser pulled up beside me and motioned with his hand. I had no idea what was going on as I was only doing a bit under 60.
Finally I figured out he was telling me to bump the speed up. Ok, I’m now doing 65.
He waves again so I up it to 70.
He waves yet again and I nudge it to 75.
He then waves again and I nudge 80.
At that point he smiles, gives me a thumbs up, and pulls on away from me. Guess the Okie hicks don’t drive fast enough for them out there. It’s not like I was holding traffic up.
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@db4690 what @bing conveniently left out about that speed stuff in Cedar Rapids (where the speed limit is 55mph on the section with camera) is that it’s a tight-radius S-curve through the middle of the city. Comparing crashes on this section from 2003-2009 (no cameras) to 2010-2017 (cameras), crashes decreased by 50%, and fatalities went from 7 down to 1.
I grew up in that city, and I still go back to visit my parents there; that section of roadway without the cameras was a nightmare to be on, if you were trying to go anything less than 10 over the limit. Now it’s actually safe. Speed traps and the money they generate suck, but this is not what is going on in that particular situation.
And finally: you don’t get a ticket in Cedar Rapids for driving 60 in the 55; the cameras only ticket you if you’re going 12+ mph over the limit. I realize that the original statement wasn’t solely speaking to the issue in Iowa, but that’s the reality of the situation, not the snap judgment.
Didn’t mean to upset you but I think you missed what I was saying. I was referring to I 35 going through Iowa where they patrolled it heavily back in the old days of nation-wide 55, not Cedar Rapids. I was warned about the cameras though but glad to know you can go 10 over without a problem. I drive what I think is safe regardless though. I came through Cedar Rapids going north on glare ice so was down to 30 or so on the S curve and through town. Others hadn’t gotten the message but luckily were behind me when they spun out. Dang Iowa drivers in the left lane trying to go faster. I can see why they might need cameras for the locals.
Now Sioux City was the main issue for South Dakota drivers and South Dakota refusing to provide Iowa with name and address information for Iowa to send the tickets to. I haven’t been through Sioux City though but my Sioux Falls contacts relayed how livid people were about it. So all Sioux City ended up with was a bunch of pictures of license plates and no where to send the bill to.
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Here in Raleigh, NC, a few years ago, one of the city councilmen, a very aggressive litigation attorney, started to remove a clamped wheel and drive off. The policeman walked up behind him as we was removing the wheel. He wound up with a few more citations.
He no longer holds public office but he’s still litigating.
The additional citations must not have been felonies. He might have been disbarred. Taking big chances like that put his license to work in big jeopardy. Way dumb.
This is North Carolina.
About 20 years ago, we had an inebriated legislator (actually Speaker of the state House) who was pulled over. First thing he said was “Do you know who I am?” Next was “I could get you fired.” That one didn’t go well either.
| jtsanders
September 19 |
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The additional citations must not have been felonies. He might have been disbarred. Taking big chances like that put his license to work in big jeopardy. Way dumb.
In NJ, those exact words were uttered by Chris Christie, when he was US Attorney for NJ, and he said this when the cops in Elizabeth, NJ pulled him over after he had driven the wrong way down a one-way street in his BMW 7-series, and hit a motorcyclist.
Not only did he get away with no citations, but he managed to get elected as the state’s Governor a few years later.
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Seems to vary by the how aggressive the police and the attitude of the public.
Too aggressive and the Public (Courts & Judges) start siding with the accused and too lenient the Public starts coming down hard on the accused.
We had both (Booting & Speed Cameras) and the folks on both sides who “pushed it too far” got a quick and painful lesson in the power of the the Jury and Public Opinion.
To paraphrase Ben Franklin, “A few days in City Jail or a Career Limiting Move may seem harsh but a fool will learn in no other.”
It’s a fact that some people have a severe dislike of their governors or former governors. Me included. If we started to list every politician, left and right, that has tried to subvert the law, we’ll be up to 200 in no time. So maybe we should just redirect in another direction? Huh guys and gals? I usually end up getting beat up by responding and my black eye is still healing.
When I was a kid, our mayor had an alcohol problem. One weekend he had too many and was caught dancing in the middle of the street with some clothing missing as I recall, in Minneapolis at a meeting/party. I don’t remember if he was arrested or not. Back then the police would just drive you home instead of jail. The idea was to keep the peace and keep people safe. Some times it worked and some times it didn’t.
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