Orlando in Top 10 for Speed-Traps (Oviedo, Winter Park: live, legally, ticket)

[kyle19125]

Orlando One Of Nation's Worst Places For Speed Traps - Orlando News Story - WESH Orlando (http://www.wesh.com/news/26939684/detail.html - broken link)


Agree or Disagree? It might help explain 40mph and 50mph speed limits on I-4.

[beach.guy]

I disagree. I never speed more than 5 -10 over and on local roads keep it to 5 over and never have to worry about alleged speed traps.

[boy3365]

The interstate speed limits are federally regulated, right?

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by boy3365

The interstate speed limits are federally regulated, right?

Nope. The federal minimum is 55, so not sure how Orlando gets 40 and 50mph zones on a federal interstate otherwise.

[boy3365]

In downtown areas, the speed limit has to be 55. The 40mph thing (and the digital speed limit signs in general) were put in place with the belief that if the varied speed limits are followed, traffic would flow more smoothly. The problem is that no one goes those speed limits...

[AONE]

Oviedo apparently gets $1 million a month from the cameras on red lights so I guess the traps work well.....

[Wilshire81182]

If this is purely related to I-4 then I do not have too much of an opinion since I have not noticed. I do know that driving through town on major roads like Semoran, Curry Ford, Alafaya, etc. that there are several areas where police wait with radar guns obstructed from view. I slow down in these areas out of habit. Sometimes I have seen other pulled over in these areas and sometimes I have almost been caught. The two tickets I have gotten in Florida in the almost 6 years I have lived here have been in areas I am less familiar with outside of my normal commute or parts of town I frequent. I have gotten tickets on the turnpike around Osceola/Yeehaw Junction and in Altamonte on a side road that I did not realize the speed limit was lower than it was.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by boy3365

The 40mph thing (and the digital speed limit signs in general) were put in place with the belief that if the varied speed limits are followed, traffic would flow more smoothly. The problem is that no one goes those speed limits...

Besides the fact I-4 is the only uninterrupted non-toll highway in town, it's also too narrow to handle the traffic IMO. Not to mention the fact that area drivers freak out with the brakes whenever the road curves, which is prevalent through downtown and Winter Park, and adds to the consistent slow-downs.

In terms of the variable speed limits, perhaps there's a traffic study somewhere showing slower steady speeds helps traffic flow more smoothly.

[BECLAZONE]

Originally Posted by boy3365

In downtown areas, the speed limit has to be 55. The 40mph thing (and the digital speed limit signs in general) were put in place with the belief that if the varied speed limits are followed, traffic would flow more smoothly. The problem is that no one goes those speed limits...

I was wondering about those variable speed limit signs, the fact that everyone seemed to ignore them led me to believe that they were just advisory, and not enforceable.

Still didn’t get a ticket though, but as an American said to me while I was over there, “You’re English, you can do what you want”. I don’t know how true that is!

[TedTLPN]

Whoever doesn't think Orlando doesn't have a lot of speed traps doesn't drive I-4 between Lee and Maitland Blvd off rush hour. That place (especially on weekends) is a VERY NORMAL haunt for troopers with aviation support. There are other areas of course.. but that one came to mind when I visited last month and saw them there.

The last I had heard (about 5 years ago) the variable speed limits were legally questionable. I'd like to know if anyone has any more information about that.