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Old 04-08-2011, 07:44 AM
 
48 posts, read 144,641 times
Reputation: 20

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APD officers go undercover in construction zones | kvue.com | KVUE News Video | Breaking news | Austin, Tx

Speeding in a construction zone is foolish, but I don't agree w/ cops imitating a construction worker to give out tickets!
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Old 04-08-2011, 08:34 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
Reputation: 8617
Sounds like a durn good idea to me, and I agree with the statement:
Quote:
"What we want people to do is concentrate on how they drive, regardless if they see a police officer or not,” said APD Corporal Bob Miljenovich
Almost anyone that reads that article will be thinking about their speed in the next construction zone that they go through .

Quote:
The speed limit there is 65 miles per hour. The average violation was between 75 and 85 miles per hour.
No sympathy here....
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Old 04-08-2011, 08:36 AM
 
554 posts, read 1,746,383 times
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I've seen more speed traps in the last year than my previous 4 years living in this area. I guess the cities are pushing the cops to generate revenue. It seems like more motorcycle cops out there lately too.

From a safety perspective the hardhat and reflective vest are certainly a good idea in a construction zone, maybe a requirement.
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Old 04-08-2011, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,073,910 times
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I have real mixed feelings about this. It seems to me that if they really want people to slow down they need to be more visible. If two officers are on duty, they can only ticket one or two people at a time. So how many other cars continue speeding through while the cops are busy writing a ticket, not even realizing they were there?

Seems like it would be easy enough to determine which has the greatest effect on slowing drivers down; 1) cops in disguise writing an occasional ticket, or 2) visible law enforcement officers on duty.

My money is on option 2. I think even an empty cop car has a greater deterrent effect then cops in disguise.

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Old 04-08-2011, 10:59 AM
 
554 posts, read 1,746,383 times
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CpthRn ... yean but they can't make money that way, its not really about getting people to slow down. 13 tickets an hour in a construction zone is about $4K worth of tickets which should equal around $1.5-2K revenue. Not bad for an hour with 2 employees working in any business.
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Old 04-08-2011, 11:32 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,073,910 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by someguyatx View Post
CpthRn ... yean but they can't make money that way, its not really about getting people to slow down. 13 tickets an hour in a construction zone is about $4K worth of tickets which should equal around $1.5-2K revenue. Not bad for an hour with 2 employees working in any business.
Yes, that is why I have mixed feelings about this. It seems the goal is more about revenue generation then safety. Which I do not think should be what law enforcement is all about. What next, law enforcement officers buying people all they can drink down on 6th street, so they can then arrest them for public intoxication?
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Old 04-08-2011, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
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Eh, to me it is like the lottery...and idiot tax...if you don't want to pay the tax, don't participate - don't buy lottery tickets, don't speed. I figure there are lots of volunteers willing to pay taxes to the city of Austin so I don't have to .

The empty police cars were found to be illegal some time ago, I think, for some strange technicality...or maybe they were just getting vandalized, not sure . Anyway, they used to do that and stopped, I don't remember exactly why.

Btw, I don't see the police encouraging anyone to speed (no 'buying drinks' in your comparison). Anyway, this is the same argument we went through recently on here...and I still think visible police presence only slows traffic when it is visible, 'invisible' police presence can change behavior and slow traffic when they are not there.
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Old 04-08-2011, 11:59 AM
 
362 posts, read 1,044,756 times
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How about protecting other drivers at intersections where idiots run red lights like it's a meager suggestion?!
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Old 04-08-2011, 12:14 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 49,073,910 times
Reputation: 9478
Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinSpartan View Post
How about protecting other drivers at intersections where idiots run red lights like it's a meager suggestion?!
I'm definitely in favor of that. I've seen more accidents from this then from exceeding anything happening in a construction zone.
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Old 04-08-2011, 12:32 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,410,702 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainwreck20 View Post
Eh, to me it is like the lottery...and idiot tax...if you don't want to pay the tax, don't participate - don't buy lottery tickets, don't speed. I figure there are lots of volunteers willing to pay taxes to the city of Austin so I don't have to .

The empty police cars were found to be illegal some time ago, I think, for some strange technicality...or maybe they were just getting vandalized, not sure . Anyway, they used to do that and stopped, I don't remember exactly why.

Btw, I don't see the police encouraging anyone to speed (no 'buying drinks' in your comparison). Anyway, this is the same argument we went through recently on here...and I still think visible police presence only slows traffic when it is visible, 'invisible' police presence can change behavior and slow traffic when they are not there.
I have to agree with Trainwreck here. Unless "not being immediately visible" constitutes "encouraging to speed" (which is an idiotic, self-serving argument), there's nothing like buying people drinks going on. That's a real stretch.

Don't want a speeding ticket? Don't speed. Don't want a speeding ticket in a construction zone, even if you can't immediately see Mommy (police officer)? Don't speed in a construction zone.

It's really not rocket science folks. If you speed, and you get a ticket, man up and admit it's the predictable consequences of your actions. Don't blame the police for giving you a ticket for something you were admittedly doing that was in violation of the law.
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