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My most common highway drive is from Exit 30 to Exit 22 on the Hutchinson River Parkway (the 'Hutch") in the New York City area, roughly from the Connecticut line to Scarsdale. Speeding is rife north of I-287 because the traffic volume is typically light. Typically I drive it at 60 mph, or about 5 mph over the limit. I personally have never been ticketed on this stretch. I would say that at least 25% of my drives feature being passed by someone obviously going about 85 mph. One time, I was in the left lane going about 60, and someone cut around me to the right, directly in front of a police car, going what had to be in excess of 75 or 80. The guy was not pulled over. Plenty of times I see cops waiting under the I-287 bridge. I rarely see them nail anyone who just passed me at 80+.
Another time I was driving on Route 17 in a 65 mph zone, at the speed limit (since I had just seen the same cop going the other way). I was in the right lane. A car going in tandem with me in the left lane got nailed. He was also going about 65.
Thank you for your compliment.
I know both the Hutch and Route 17 (exit 131 at the NYT merge to about Exit 87) from some 13 summers going upstate to the Cooperstown/Oneonta area (as well as a summer camp in Livingston Manor (Exit 96.)) I previously quoted about the Hutch with my memories on the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkpunk
The Hutchinson Parkway in the Bronx is a snakey tight highway connecting 684 and the Whitestone Bridge to Queens. I've been on it many times from 1993-2006 (almost as much as going up 95 via the Throg's Neck Bridge to 87 after it becomes the New York Thruway.) The road from my recollection was typically packed and tight like most snakey Robert Moses designed New York parkways. It is a bit of a danger to drive with at high speeds as prior to a bend there is no traffic but then it gets baked up right after, right out of nowhere. So it would fall into flow of traffic issue. As I've said before, the guy is mad only because he gets caught.
Admittedly, I wasn't on that as much as 17 which is a bit more wide open BUT still is a bit curvy and can be subject to a lot of speed traps, especially for tourists. Typically the county cops (especially in the Roscoe (or Exit 94) area) are known for banging you if you have out-of-state plates, bike racks or a travel case on top even if you aren't really speeding. Why you may ask, easy marks. People (like my uncle who was banged by a Roscoe cop in the 90's) weren't likely to come back and fight that ticket so the cost of the ticket is less than the opportunity costs of fighting. Which nowadays with high gas prices (back when my uncle got banged, gas was under $0.90 on most 17 roadside gas stations) makes the trips likely to be a wash unless it was a case where the speed wasn't written in on his ticket. He fought it and luckily despite being "downstaters" we were already most of the way upstate to fight the ticket. The cop never showed and the judge was aware of this cop's no-shows and issues with tickets so he charged my dad $10 for parking on the sidewalk rather than the 5/6 times amount for speeding.
Well, I certainly agree with laws concerning prohibiting texting while driving. It is akin to drunken driving, in my mind. However, I imagine that the insurance companies will have a say in this. For instance, if an insured driver has an accident, the law may change to where the insurance company will have ready access to the driver's cell phone records, to see if they were 'on line' or such when the accident occurred. If so, no insurance to cover the accident (save, perhaps, for that part compensating the innocent party).
I also agree with the laws concerning not going below a certain speed limit on highways. I was quite surprised the other day, going on I-30 in Fort Worth, to realize that the car ahead of me (driven by some very elderly person) was creeping along around 35 miles an hour, while traffic was around 65. I, and others, were having to quickly switch lanes when we realized just how slow the person was going.
Texting and walking? I would be in favor of a regulation by the city or town advising people that such entity would not be held responsible if the person stepped into an open manhole cover or such. You would be surprised at how people will sue for such self-inflicted injuries.
Obviously you don't know that a posted speed limit is NOT the speed you need to be traveling.
The posted limit means you are not to exceed that limit.
If the majority of the people want to crush these laws, they have the ability to do so.
But the majority doesn't want to crush these laws.
The OP doesn't believe in the democratic process.
The problem is the minute these laws are repealed, we'll see a drastic rise in accidents (not even fatal) from speed, texting or distracted driving and then we'll have a MADD like group come around and demand them to be brought back. Arizona don't have a specific texting while driving law on the state level (county and city laws maybe different) because it is "too many laws" with their existing distracted driving law and actually face these groups as well.
Well, I certainly agree with laws concerning prohibiting texting while driving. It is akin to drunken driving, in my mind. However, I imagine that the insurance companies will have a say in this. For instance, if an insured driver has an accident, the law may change to where the insurance company will have ready access to the driver's cell phone records, to see if they were 'on line' or such when the accident occurred. If so, no insurance to cover the accident (save, perhaps, for that part compensating the innocent party).
I also agree with the laws concerning not going below a certain speed limit on highways. I was quite surprised the other day, going on I-30 in Fort Worth, to realize that the car ahead of me (driven by some very elderly person) was creeping along around 35 miles an hour, while traffic was around 65. I, and others, were having to quickly switch lanes when we realized just how slow the person was going.
Texting and walking? I would be in favor of a regulation by the city or town advising people that such entity would not be held responsible if the person stepped into an open manhole cover or such. You would be surprised at how people will sue for such self-inflicted injuries.
Texting while driving IS "legal" here in most of Arizona: I won't do it unless stopped; it's just too damn easy to hit somebody.
Texting while driving IS "legal" here in most of Arizona: I won't do it unless stopped; it's just too damn easy to hit somebody.
Read the post above your's, it isn't banned explicitly but it is in fact part of the vague distracted driving law.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkpunk
The problem is the minute these laws are repealed, we'll see a drastic rise in accidents (not even fatal) from speed, texting or distracted driving and then we'll have a MADD like group come around and demand them to be brought back. Arizona don't have a specific texting while driving law on the state level (county and city laws maybe different) because it is "too many laws" with their existing distracted driving law and actually face these groups as well.
The Hitchens Parkway in the Bronx is a snakey tight highway connecting 684 and the Whitestone Bridge to Queens. I've been on it many times from 1993-2006 (almost as much as going up 95 via the Throg's Neck Bridge to 87 after it becomes the New York Thruway.) The road from my recollection was typically packed and tight like most snakey Robert Moses designed New York parkways. It is a bit of a danger to drive with at high speeds as prior to a bend there is no traffic but then it gets baked up right after, right out of nowhere. So it would fall into flow of traffic issue. As I've said before, the guy is mad only because he gets caught.
The Hutcn was substantially rebuilt with most of the rebuild opening during spring of 1990. Most of the curves were taken out. Now the congestion is most prominent in the merges of multiple lanes (3 into 2 at New Rochelle, and 8 into 3 then two going south from the I-684 merge to Exit 25 in Harrison. The Westchester County parts of the Hutch really need a 60 mph limit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkpunk
Admittedly, I wasn't on that as much as 17 which is a bit more wide open BUT still is a bit curvy and can be subject to a lot of speed traps, especially for tourists. Typically the county cops (especially in the Roscoe (or Exit 94) area) are known for banging you if you have out-of-state plates, bike racks or a travel case on top even if you aren't really speeding. Why you may ask, easy marks. People (like my uncle who was banged by a Roscoe cop in the 90's) weren't likely to come back and fight that ticket so the cost of the ticket is less than the opportunity costs of fighting. Which nowadays with high gas prices (back when my uncle got banged, gas was under $0.90 on most 17 roadside gas stations) makes the trips likely to be a wash unless it was a case where the speed wasn't written in on his ticket. He fought it and luckily despite being "downstaters" we were already most of the way upstate to fight the ticket. The cop never showed and the judge was aware of this cop's no-shows and issues with tickets so he charged my dad $10 for parking on the sidewalk rather than the 5/6 times amount for speeding.
I was banged on Route 17 in the Hancock/Cadosia/Calicoon area during fall of 1978. It was all 55 mph then. Now the problem is the constant shifting from 65 to 55. It appears that most traps are just inside the 55 zones. However, the one I posted about was solidly inside the 65 zone but the fact that motorists were at or slightly under 65 didn't stop the officers from ticketing.
The Hutcn was substantially rebuilt with most of the rebuild opening during spring of 1990. Most of the curves were taken out. Now the congestion is most prominent in the merges of multiple lanes (3 into 2 at New Rochelle, and 8 into 3 then two going south from the I-684 merge to Exit 25 in Harrison. The Westchester County parts of the Hutch really need a 60 mph limit.
This is the part I am familiar with and yes, that part is a little tight and curvy, though not as curvy as other NYS parkways both on the Island (Southern State and Taconic Parkways namely.) I remember it being pretty hard to gauge traffic around bends.
Quote:
I was banged on Route 17 in the Hancock/Cadosia/Calicoon area during fall of 1978. It was all 55 mph then. Now the problem is the constant shifting from 65 to 55. It appears that most traps are just inside the 55 zones. However, the one I posted about was solidly inside the 65 zone but the fact that motorists were at or slightly under 65 didn't stop the officers from ticketing.
Yeah, but that is rather typical when dealing with areas that go from high speed to low speed, normally because people don't pay much attention to the new speed until they see police lights getting bigger in the rear and side views.
Location: When you take flak it means you are on target
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The whole thing boils down to the 2nd Amendment. If we were allowed to own military weapons, ("Shall not be infringed") then we could own tanks and armored vehicles. Then texting and speed limits wouldn't be a concern. The whole solution is retroing the 2nd Amendment to what the founding fathers wanted.
Then people would be more inclined to use their blinkers, if the guy behind you could fire a 105mm shell up your tailpipe!
And if someone was tailgating, you could just swivel your turret around and suggest they back off.
So why not try to get people who were not actually endangering life and limb to plead not guilty, and demand the most elaborate trial possible. Many jurisdictions don't allow for jury trials on traffic infringements. But if large numbers of people stopped for low-grade speeding violations or cell-phone violations pleaded not guilty, showed up and refused to take a plea and the pretrial conferences and demanded a trial, the part-time judges' calendars would stretch well into the night. And the courtroom would be packed with just about every police officer who would have to appear.
Worth a try?
When you speed and text / screw around with your phone, you ARE endangering lives. And when you get caught doing it, you should get your ass nailed to a wall. I have no problem with this.
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