Where’s Waldo? (in first!)
The end of an era.
The “town” should be disbanded. It’s just a shakedown operation by the roadside.
I always drove really slow through Waldo and always saw them with several cars pulled over. I even saw one pulled over and the cop then told him to stay there while she went after another one.
I was happy to see the guy just pull out and go on his way.
The worst one ever was Ludowici, Georgia. Governor Maddox even put up a billboard saying for the public to beware as they were approaching a town full of robbers and thieves. That didn’t stop it so he told them he would have the town abolished if they didn’t stop.
That and a new law, called the Ludowici law which made it illegal for any but state troopers to give a ticket for less than 10 mph over the limit, finally made them stop.`
Sounds like Weehawken NJ
Have a speed trap near enterence to Lincoln Tunnel
Coming down bridge from Hoboken is small sign listing speed as
25 MPH. Almost impossible to see
Wait right there to grab you.......
Then there are towns that shake down the visitors in other ways….. A few years ago, I attended a conference in Kansas City and was stunned when I returned my rental car at the airport and the bill presented to me was about 1/3 higher than I expected. When I enquired what this rather vague line item of ‘municipal improvement fund’ was all about, it was explained to me that the City of KC didn’t want to put the cost of their new football (or perhaps baseball?) stadium on the backs of the taxpayers so they dumped it the visitors from out of town by putting this huge tax on rental cars (and other stuff I suppose). When I got home, I called the mayor up and told him that I will NEVER visit his town again and I will make sure that I tell as many people as I can about their approach to ‘municipal improvement projects’ and avoid KC like the plague.
I’m sure that there are other municipalities that do things as egregiously as KC but that one seemed way over the top to me.
There is another town near Waldo which I can’t recall right now. It was about the same as Waldo.
Speaking from sad experience of driving north on US-301 many years ago (speeds may have changed since.) As you enter Waldo, you go from 2 lanes each way divided into a tight curve where the speed drops from 55 to 25 and the police are at that curve with their radar. You have almost no chance to slow if you are not a native and know the conditions.
I just remembered that other town in Florida. It is near Waldo. I have no idea if Lawtey is still a speed trap but it used to be one of the worst.
In Pennsylvania, local municipalities are prohibited from using radar for speed enforcement. Not sue if it applies to the big cities but the small townships are not allowed.
We disbanded the police force in my little town in MA. for being brutal and harassing residents; especially children and teens. Just defunded their asses. They were expanded due to Homeland Insecurity and we “dispanded” them.
Later we hired two officers and one “chief.” Man, were the fired guys and gals ever jacked up and wacked out on terrorism. They had to justify their existence by naming everyone criminals and speeders and they needed a lot of money from residents when the Fed money dried up. Not a good plan in a town hall form of government.
The principal at the HS lost his job later for cooperating in the harassment and terrorizing of students. That was a good town. I got busted for having teens and parents in my pool at 10:00 pm. Mind you, I lived on five acres and it was a Saturday night! They left after being confronted by a lawyer attending the party.
Another time, I got raided for having apple cider and candy party for teens so they would not go out and knock down people mailboxes and have camp fires in the pine woods, something they did on Halloween. All the parents expressed gratitude. I had six parent chaperones helping me and my husband inside and outside to make sure booze and fires were not present. It was a work night so all the doors and windows were kept closed and no loitering allowed outside. It was to be over at 10:00pm. They were going to cite me for parking violations and search my house without a warrant until they came face to face with eight parents, a few were lawyers and all. If were alone, they would have run me over like a Mac truck.
That was the most fun political organizing I ever did - getting rid of those nuts and sluts.