Posted on 09/28/2007 6:04:02 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
North Texas toll roads ignore safe engineering standards to allow the state to set up speed traps.
Toll road operators in North Texas are ignoring state law by imposing arbitrary speed limits that are set far below the safest level suggested by engineering surveys. A WFAA-TV investigation discovered that the North Texas Tollway Authority set speed limits on portions of the Dallas North Tollway and all of the Bush Turnpike without performing the scientific studies required by state and federal law.
"Statistics show that 85 percent of the people drive at a prudent and reasonable speed," Kelly Selman, TxDOT director of transportation, told WFAA. "If you set a speed limit lower than that, you're actually punishing prudent and reasonable drivers."
A section of the Dallas North Tollway running from downtown to I-635 is posted at 55 MPH while the vast majority traffic was measured to flow at a safe and reasonable 72 MPH. That means police could write 590 speeding tickets to toll road users every minute for driving 17 MPH over the limit, based on the amount of traffic on the toll road. The tollway generated $191 million in tolls last year.
A North Texas Tollway Authority spokesman denied the road was designed to be a speed trap. Currently, Texas allows the highest legal speed limit in the country at 80 MPH.
Source: Standards on setting speed limits not followed (WFAA-TV (TX), 9/22/2007)
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
It’s all about the money: traffic law “enforcement” is never about anything other than THE MONEY.
Out here in Helotes they just put up these new red light cameras. When i moved from away from DC-area i thought i had seen the last of em. >: 0
I just got a ticket for travelling at 74 mph in a posted 55mph zone. I was the only car for miles in any direction (excepting the Jetta that blew by me like I was standing still...), the road was dry and clear, I was travelling in the far right lane of a 4 lane with 10 foot shoulders and a 12 foot wide painted meridian. Anywhere else on this earth this would be a 70+ posted road, and any reasonable human would recognize that there was no threat to anyone, but the officer thought differently.
Instead, I got an invitation to the town I had just vacated an hour ago for a court date. I can choose to go and waste 3 days of my time in a petty little court where odds are the judge is a former traffic cop and likes the position his little speed-trap town gives him (BTDTGTS), or just pay the fine.
I suppose we plebes should be grateful that the King’s Highwaymen allow us the use of the roads we pay for through our taxes.
I do think it’s a pity though that a once honorable and decent, though difficult job has become nothing more than another revenue stream for the nanny state.
Currently, Texas allows the highest legal speed limit in the country at 80 MPH.
We have no toll roads up here in the Panhandle ........yet.
But I seem to remember last toll road I was on there was no need for LEO’s to write tickets. If you entered the toll road at point A and left it at point B you would have had to do the speed limit or less all the way or the times you were on the road would indicate a lead foot........your fine was tacked on to your charge at the exit booth etc ....
Yep, by knowing time and distance the speed can be calculated. I think that approach was used and maybe still is used on some roadways in the East.....
BTTT
This article ignores the fact of driving on NTTA roads - the posted speed limit is not enforced. For careful drivers, tickets don’t start until 75 or 80. (Weaving through traffic may get you a ticket at lower speed).
It also ignores the fact that the speed limits in Dallas county were lowered a few years ago on environmental grounds, not safety grounds - the same thing was done on Central, 30, and 35.
So I’d put this story in the ‘propaganda’ category.
On one of the Dallas area toll roads? Was it a construction zone?
Bull**it environmental speed limits. Set at 60 MPH on 820 loop around Fort Worth where everybody cruises at 73 MPH or better except near end of month when Fort Worth cops need to meet their quotas by hassling white collar commuters (instead of rounding up the Mexican gangs and Katrina refugees plaguing Fort Worth). Hell, if lower speeds save so much gas set them at 10 MPH. Eco-fascists just love being in your face every chance they get-a big power trip for these watermelons.
Your comment reminds me that I need to qualify my earlier comment. Cops run a speed trap on the south end of George Bush (between I35 and the south toll plaza) near the end of each month. Richardson cops run a Sunday morning revenue operation on US75, weather permitting. (Primarily northbound, but they will nail a few southbound as they loop around).
Transportation Secretary's dream.
Exit booths are combustible...........;o)
My biggest worry is that the myspace kids won’t care about this stuff. They understand how evil cookies are...
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