Speeding Ticket (Houston, Howe, Valentine: live in, legal, stores)

[sharkphem]

I have been looking for someplace to vent and found this spot so here I go. I was driving to work yesterday morning and was exiting Hwy 288 @ Calumet. As I came of the highway, one of Houstons finest was standing in the middle of the street with a radar gun. He pulled me over and wrote me a ticket for 10 miles over the speed limit. There was another one that had someone else pulled over also. They were working the area non-stop, just one ticket after the next. This seems like entrapment since you are coming off of the freeway, they know you are going to be doing a decent speed. Should I fight or pay?

[tstone]

You were clocked going 70 in a 60? If so, just do defensive driving or deferred.

If you were doing 10 over what a sign like this said:



Fight it. The yellow signs are advisories. The white (and red) signs are law.

Remember, Houston = speed trap.

[sharkphem]

I was clocked going 45 in a 35. I checked this morning and there is one of those yellow signs that says 35 mph on the exit ramp. I want to fight it but my husband says do the defensive driving.

[occdn]

Originally Posted by sharkphem

I was clocked going 45 in a 35. I checked this morning and there is one of those yellow signs that says 35 mph on the exit ramp. I want to fight it but my husband says do the defensive driving.

I personally would fight this one.

My 2c.

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by sharkphem

I have been looking for someplace to vent and found this spot so here I go. I was driving to work yesterday morning and was exiting Hwy 288 @ Calumet. As I came of the highway, one of Houstons finest was standing in the middle of the street with a radar gun. He pulled me over and wrote me a ticket for 10 miles over the speed limit. There was another one that had someone else pulled over also. They were working the area non-stop, just one ticket after the next. This seems like entrapment since you are coming off of the freeway, they know you are going to be doing a decent speed. Should I fight or pay?

I saw some cops standing on the feeder road where I live in the SE with their radar/laser gun the other day. They parked on the U-turn lane and stood on the street pointing that thing at traffic. I thought it was funny because I have never seen it done like that before. Usually, they sit in their patrol cars with the radar/laser. I sympathize with you for getting the ticket. However, I am not sure I agree that it was entrapment. They usually hide behind something when they entrap. I was able to see them way ahead and could have slowed down had I been speeding. Just slow down and you won't see another ticket.

[tstone]

If you don't feel like slowing down, invest in one of these:

Valentine One radar and laser detectors

All I can say it's $400 well spent. When you get tired of it, you can eBay it used for about $300ish.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by sharkphem

I have been looking for someplace to vent and found this spot so here I go. I was driving to work yesterday morning and was exiting Hwy 288 @ Calumet. As I came of the highway, one of Houstons finest was standing in the middle of the street with a radar gun. He pulled me over and wrote me a ticket for 10 miles over the speed limit. There was another one that had someone else pulled over also. They were working the area non-stop, just one ticket after the next. This seems like entrapment since you are coming off of the freeway, they know you are going to be doing a decent speed. Should I fight or pay?

Tstone is right about the advisory nature of the exit ramp speeds, but if you were actually off the ramp and on the feeder road, the posted limit is the posted limit. Fight it if you want, but I think it's fairly cut-and-dried that you were speeding, whether or not it's complete chickensh*t on the part of HPD. *which it IS*

[tstone]

Yeah... usually after the advisory, once you spill onto the feeder, 2 white/black speed limit signs will pop up on either side. If you pass through those speeding and an ossifer on a mission is watching you, your ass is grass. Feeder speed limits are never more than 50.

[sharkphem]

Do radar detectors really work? I have heard that you don't get enough warning to slow down before they catch you. It's not that I plan on speeding but usually if you're not going at least 45 mph you will get run down in this city.

[tstone]

My radar detector picks up Ka band for a good half mile. K Band maybe for a quarter mile. My X band is disabled as it just lets me know which stores have automatic door openers. But the others give me plenty of time to slow down.

The V1 also detects laser but if that goes off, you're already toast most of the time. You can get laser jammers, and they are legal in Texas, but they are very expensive. I didn't bother with those.