OKC speed traps

[NikonNurse]

Seeing that many of you are not OCPD or Law Enforcement.....its funny hearing the words, "quota" and "revenue". And griping about "speed traps" in areas that are notorious for speeders, accidents and near accidents (pointed out by complaints from the general public). Where would you expect the cops to sit? And cops wont pull you over for 5 mph...they will pull you over if you do something that arouses their suspicion. (Speeding >10mph, following too close, passing illegally, not maintaining car, weaving in out out of traffic, littering, expired tags, driving left of center.....)which one of these do you fit into? They pull you over, ticket you and hope that you, like people used to do in the old days of non-entitlement, would learn your lesson and abide by the traffic laws put forth to make drivers safe.

And if you do any of the above and dont get caught the first time...who is to say that doing one of these things the next time doesnt get you or someone else hurt....

If you say you are pulled over for no reason, you are mistaken.

[Spartan]

Seeing that many of you are not OCPD or Law Enforcement.....its funny hearing the words, "quota" and "revenue". And griping about "speed traps" in areas that are notorious for speeders, accidents and near accidents (pointed out by complaints from the general public). Where would you expect the cops to sit? And cops wont pull you over for 5 mph...they will pull you over if you do something that arouses their suspicion. (Speeding >10mph, following too close, passing illegally, not maintaining car, weaving in out out of traffic, littering, expired tags, driving left of center.....)which one of these do you fit into? They pull you over, ticket you and hope that you, like people used to do in the old days of non-entitlement, would learn your lesson and abide by the traffic laws put forth to make drivers safe.

And if you do any of the above and dont get caught the first time...who is to say that doing one of these things the next time doesnt get you or someone else hurt....

If you say you are pulled over for no reason, you are mistaken.

"The old days of non-entitlement" LOL

Translation: Someone thinks their opinion is entitled.

And in case you didn't realize, if a police officer decides that he's going to pull you over, he will. If someone followed you for 10 minutes there is a 100% chance that they will find something, anything, that they can pull you over for, and again, in case you didn't realize, the traffic laws are written just for that specific reason. So don't get holier than thou about abiding by the traffic laws. The reality is that everyone breaks the traffic laws, which are written to be broken so that a police officer can have the authority to pull over whoever he needs, so obviously breaking a traffic law doesn't mean you are a bad person or that you are a bad driver. It means that you either A, got caught in a speed trap at a time the city needed revenue; B, drive a car that gathers suspicion perhaps for good reason (a pimped out Monte Carlo, for example); or C, did something flagrantly wrong and actually deserve the ticket you're going to get (the least likely of possible scenarios).

And before you say..no, nobody ever said that it wasn't avoidable. You can always be aware of when there is a speed trap and be certain that you fly under the radar not speeding. You can always not do anything flagrantly wrong, which I would always encourage. You can also always change the color of your skin, not express yourself with your car, not come across "ghetto", not be driving through a bad neighborhood, or avoid any other situation that may be the actual reason you get pulled over.

Before I am accused of being a civil rights bleeding heart liberal, I believe racial profile is a good thing and that it prevents a lot of crime. It's really the only smart way to target crime before it happens. BUT let's all be real, it sounds like such an awful thing when you call it for what it is. That's my point, not that we should get rid of profiling. Oh, and also that some cops profile based on personal preference..i.e., a Bush bumper sticker that may upset a cop who hates Bush, whatever...we all know it happens. Anyone who's driven an automobile with an Oklahoma license plate past the Texas line knows what I'm talking about.

[C. B.]

It's not a speed trap, but basically functions like one: there is a very small "no right turn on red" sign on the 63rd and May intersection. There is frequently a policeman lying in wait for the unsuspecting who don't notice the sign.

I think they have taken this sign down. I looked for it the other day and didn't see it posted. Both east and west bound on 63rd.

Now at lunch time, everyone turns right onto northbound May during the red light. Then the fun begins...

[hoya]

Speeding tickets are like a special membership fee. I pay my speeding tickets, I get to drive as fast as I want. You guys can go ahead and drive what it says on the sign. I'm gonna pay my $150 every six months or so and I can drive 100 on the freeway.

[pw405]

Haven't been up to OKC enough to notice. In Norman, lately we've had them set up, sometimes three NPD vehicles deep, on Robinson just west of the HWY 77/Flood Robinson intersection, and occasionally a bit south of the intersection as well.

I have traveled that specific area regularly for 20+ years and have never seen the enforcement levels that exist today.

While I canna say it is specifically to boost revenues, I can say I've never seen a small stretch in Norman worked by three vehicles. I can also say it was rare to see all three sitting in wait, given the amount of opportunities being offered up by the passing motorists.

The City of Norman refueling station is on Flood, south of rock creek, north of robinson. There are always police there. The other issue is that Flood goes from 55>45>35> then 30, so its a haven for writing speeding tickets.

[pw405]

Is that actually an issue in OKC? I can't recall ever seeing, or hearing, about a 3 to 5 mph over limit ticket in the metro area.

I don't think even the fairly notorious 'We Love Okies and Texans for Your Generous Donations' crew in Cimarron, NM' writes at 5 or less over limit?

YES - My dad is 50 something with a perfectly clean driving record and he got a ticket by an OKC cop for going 55 in a 50, on Sooner Road. This is a NOTORIOUS speed trap!

Others I have noticed:

Sooner Road between Indian Hills & SE 89th - do NOT speed here!!

I-35 between I-240 and the OK River is a HUGE speed trap - multiple people pulled over almost every day by bike cops, I like to screw with people so they fly past me really fast and get pulled over. Its like a road rage by proxy.

SE 59th Between Eastern & I-35 - technically this is Valley Brook, but they will pull you over at the drop of a hat!!

Ya ya - speeding is dangerous and kills people, etc, but the most important reason to NOT speed is fuel economy.

I drive a turbocharged 2.0 Genesis - If I drive from Norman to OKC at 80 - I get about 23 MPG, if I drive 65 the entire time, I get 31MPG - well worth the extra 3-4 minutes I could save by driving 80.

It kills me to see people driving huge trucks & SUV's going 80+on the highway - they are burning gas like its goin out of style!

[kevinpate]

The City of Norman refueling station is on Flood, south of rock creek, north of robinson. There are always police there. The other issue is that Flood goes from 55>45>35> then 30, so its a haven for writing speeding tickets.

Yeppers, but that's not where they have been hanging of late. Too far north.
When they gather on Flood, it's down a lil' ways south of Robinson, just to the north of Acres, where Cape and others have some small car lots. Some right decent camo for them actually.

When they gather on Robinson near Flood, I'm seeing them line up on Newton, at times 3 deep, or fill the circle turnabout right behind the Max Westheimer stone pillar. Occasionally, I'll also see 2 deep at Westwood Apts., just to the west of Robinson/Berry intersection.

[MikeOKC]

If you say you are pulled over for no reason, you are mistaken.

My 23 year-old female friend who has long, flowing blonde hair and is the epitome of drop-dead gorgeous is pulled over all the time. So you're right, she is pulled over for a reason all right, she is pulled over so some of the cops can get a closer look and maybe a phone number. Oh, they always have an excuse, but she's not a "dumb blonde," she knows exactly what they're doing.

[SkyWestOKC]

My 23 year-old female friend who has long, flowing blonde hair and is the epitome of drop-dead gorgeous is pulled over all the time. So you're right, she is pulled over for a reason all right, she is pulled over so some of the cops can get a closer look and maybe a phone number. Oh, they always have an excuse, but she's not a "dumb blonde," she knows exactly what they're doing.

Or an, "Officer, is there *anything* I can do to get out of this ticket?"

Just playing devil's advocate here.

[Jon27]

How about getting these semis that go 45 in the left lane on the interstate?

[MikeOKC]

Or an, "Officer, is there *anything* I can do to get out of this ticket?"

Just playing devil's advocate here.

Or, maybe the officer is hoping for an offer to "just forget the whole thing if..."

(Again, just playing devil's advocate.)

[ljbab728]

Oh and by the way, the stretch of NE 10th St. between I-35 and Sooner Rd. leading into Midwest City frequently has unmarked Fords cruising up and down or posted up in hiding, specifically during rush hour. I have lived in Midwest City for many years (20+) and there has NEVER been any significant development of any kind along this stretch. Speed Limit has been 40-45MPH for as long as I can remember and the pavement is in great condition with very few incidents ever along this stretch. The speed limit could easily be 55MPH here but it doesn't help that law enforcement along this stretch consistently preys upon speeding motorists. If you ever drive down this roadway of "nothingness" you will find it very difficult not to speed as it is a straightaway on good pavement across the basin of the North Canadian River.

I have little sympathy for those who get speeding tickets. It's never difficult to not speed if you're paying any attention at all to what you're doing when you're driving. If you're on a roadway of "nothingness" set your speed control at the speed limit for a little while and you won't have to worry.

[ljbab728]

A good speed trap during the school year is Penn between SW 104 and SW119, in the Red Oak school zone. A cop will sit in the entrance to the walled in neighborhood next to Red Oak, can't see him at all. Saw him get a couple of people throughout the school year.

I'm totally for speed traps in school zones. Nothing upsets me more than seeing people speeding in school zones. I have even had people behind me in a school zone honk at me because I was driving the posted limit and they wanted to go faster.

[ljbab728]

Speeding tickets are like a special membership fee. I pay my speeding tickets, I get to drive as fast as I want. You guys can go ahead and drive what it says on the sign. I'm gonna pay my $150 every six months or so and I can drive 100 on the freeway.

Ok, hoya. I'll visit you or your victims in the funeral home.

[MikeOKC]

I'm totally for speed traps in school zones. Nothing upsets me more than seeing people speeding in school zones. I have even had people behind me in a school zone honk at me because I was driving the posted limit and they wanted to go faster.

Yes, yes, yes. I totally agree with this.

[Larry OKC]

I think they have taken this sign down. I looked for it the other day and didn't see it posted. Both east and west bound on 63rd.

Now at lunch time, everyone turns right onto northbound May during the red light. Then the fun begins...

That is interesting...a while back I got pulled over for doing the right turn on red thing. After the ticket went back and checked (westbound) and there were 3 "no turn on red signs posted: 1 next to the signal box itself, 1 on the utility pole and 1 approaching the intersection. Now WHY that intersection was designated that way, I dont know...

[Larry OKC]

I'm totally for speed traps in school zones. Nothing upsets me more than seeing people speeding in school zones. I have even had people behind me in a school zone honk at me because I was driving the posted limit and they wanted to go faster.

Agree but I always laughed when I was over on grand boulevard on southside where it narrows down from a divided to a single 2-lane going westbound approaching Shields. You actually got to SPEED UP thru the school zone (there is a bridge and a curve leading up to it and the posted speed was 5 to 10 mph lower than the school zone speed).

[td25er]

That is interesting...a while back I got pulled over for doing the right turn on red thing. After the ticket went back and checked (westbound) and there were 3 "no turn on red signs posted: 1 next to the signal box itself, 1 on the utility pole and 1 approaching the intersection. Now WHY that intersection was designated that way, I dont know...

This is true. I lived at 69th and May for 4 years.

[kevinpate]

When I was active in Scouting, I often had to pass through 63rd and May.
As crowded as I normally found that intersection, I can understand the no turn on red signs w/o any problem.

[Mikemarsh51]

One of the motor Jocks comes by my station occasionally to write out his paperwork. In case your not aware OKC has approximately 14 Motorcycle Officers. There are 2 sets and they work the regular work days. They normally work from 7-5. In the summer they are on duty from 6-4. They will do the speed limit and expect you to do the same. If you pass one you can expect to be stopped. They are traffic enforcement. They are expected to write about 10 tickets a day at about $164 each.

Now for the "speed trap" part of this. I don't believe there is such a thing. If you speed, then expect to be stopped. I tell my wife this all the time. Much the same as banks count on check overdraft income, the city expects moving violation income. That is just the fact. There is no law against texting, there is a law about "failure to devote full attention to driving". That one goes for Ladies putting on make up while driving.

When you get caught, remember, they are just doing the job we pay them to do. Would you be happy with an employee that did not do their job the way they are supposed to? I'm not saying some of them don't enjoy it. But yelling at a motor jock that you hope he crashes is not cool.

[MikeOKC]

They are expected to write about 10 tickets a day at about $164 each.

That sounds like a quota system to me. I thought they deny having any such ticket benchmarks at all.

[ljbab728]

That sounds like a quota system to me. I thought they deny having any such ticket benchmarks at all.

When he said expected I don't think he meant that their superiors were wanting them to have a particular number of tickets. I think he meant that based on normal occurrences that was what was they were expecting to happen. Budgets have to be based on something such as using past experiences.

[Spartan]

When he said expected I don't think he meant that their superiors were wanting them to have a particular number of tickets.

No, of course not..

"Officer Johnson, we need to talk about your ticket volume. You have only been generating 8 tickets a day during the last month, on average. Now we need those extra two tickets per day, the city treasury is counting on you to pay the bills. Now do you think you can do that for us, and go out there and find some more people that do anything illegal?"

[ljbab728]

No, of course not..

"Officer Johnson, we need to talk about your ticket volume. You have only been generating 8 tickets a day during the last month, on average. Now we need those extra two tickets per day, the city treasury is counting on you to pay the bills. Now do you think you can do that for us, and go out there and find some more people that do anything illegal?"

Spartan, I could make up quotes too. What would that prove?

[Larry OKC]

This is true. I lived at 69th and May for 4 years.

It WAS true and Betts is correct, the signs have been taken down.

I want my money back...LOL