Snapped by photo radar on NE Killingsworth bet. 82nd and 75th ave. (Portland: insurance, condo)

[abe_cooldude]

Hi all,

I was taking my daily route that I have been taking for the past 2 years to work, which is to go straight on NE Sandy blvd, then on to NE Killingsworth, which turns into Columbia HWY, and finally NE Lombard st. I was in the left lane on my way to work on NE Killingsworth St. Right after NE 82nd ave. intersection, the driver in front of me was going about 25mph, so I decided to speed up a little and change into the right lane. There was a pick up right behind my car in the right lane, so I had to speed up a bit more. During the lane changing, I sped up to about 45mph. Apparently, there was police radar van right next to the right lane, almost on the side walk. It snapped my pictures.

I have never, ever seen a van in that area before in my 2 years of taking the road to work. Nor I have seen any photo radar enforcement warnings. I am kind of freaking out. At the next traffic light, I made a turn, a loop, and drove by the radar van again, this time at 30mph. I didn't even see any temporary photo radar enforcement signs near the var or any where close to it. This time, I did see a 35mph speed sign kind of obscured by trees. I attached my phone to my GPS holder, and made a third loop, and recorded everything on the phone, i.e. the obscured sign, no photo radar warnings, etc. It's an understatement to say this van was snapping pictures left and right. Probably because no one was aware of it, and it had never been there before!

I thought ORS 810.438 requires photo radar vans to post notices 100 - 400 yd in advance, and must be 2 feet off the ground? Can I use that in the court? Or am I wrong in interpreting that statement?

Also, my car is like 2 months old, and still waiting on the license plate. I just have the temporary registration number on the rear windshield, which is barely visible from outside (it's coming off), and you can only read maybe 3-4 letters/numbers of it. However, I am pretty sure my picture was clean as my hands or anything wasn't in front of my face. Will they be able to send me the ticket by going through the trouble of matching my picture to the license plate?

Sorry for many questions. I am just worried.

Abe

[Copsgirl73]

So you got busted speeding? Own it and take care of your ticket

[christiner81]

wait til they send you something. you may not get a ticket.

[abe_cooldude]

I got busted speeding because in my opinion it was circumstantial. The car in front of me was doing about 20-25mph, slowing every few seconds with his blinkers and then turning then off. Went on for few minutes.

What would you do? Stay behind the car till the person in it makes up his mind on if he wants to turn or not, or would you TRY to pass the car? Be honest.

EDIT: to the second reply, I am pretty sure I am going to get a ticket. I just know it. I am praying, since there were no signs or anything, maybe they were just testing the area out or something? I guess I will find out in six business days if I got the ticket or not. But any advice or what to do would be helpful. Never have gotten a ticket before so I am freaking out. I don't mind paying the fine, but I am more worried about insurance rate increase.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Also, my car is like 2 months old, and still waiting on the license plate. I
just have the temporary registration number on the rear windshield, which is
barely visible from outside (it's coming off), and you can only read maybe 3-4
letters/numbers of it. However, I am pretty sure my picture was clean as my
hands or anything wasn't in front of my face. Will they be able to send me the
ticket by going through the trouble of matching my picture to the license plate?

Your car was photographed front and back.
If you had no front plate and the rear temp sticker was not legible, you may have lucked out.

I do not think that they have enough monetary resources to pay for the technology to match an anonymous face to an existing driver's license, etc.

I guess you have to sit back and wait, and check your mail everyday for a week or two.

If you do get a ticket, and feel you are in the right, fight it.
But good luck, you'll need it.
It's really tough to get out of a traffic ticket in Portland.
Even if you are in the right, they will get you financially somehow.

Hopefully since you owned up to what happened, and stated you will pay the fine if you are found guilty, you won't get ten pages of lectures on speeding and responsibility.....

[abe_cooldude]

Thank you for your replies! Yeah, my car doesn't yet have front or rear license plates, and you can't read the rear temp sticker fully at first glance from the outside. If you stare at it close enough for a bit, maybe you could pick up the remaining numbers not visible from outside. I just wonder if they spend that much time on each individual tickets to figure out obscured plate numbers, etc.

If they don't have the face matching tech, then I have been watching too many law & order/CSI shows.

But thank you all for your replies! I guess I will wait and see if I get the mail or not.

Thanks

[Steve Pickering]

If you were going over the speedlimit you were speeding. Are you so special that the law does not apply to you. If you get a ticket pay it. Until then, slow down.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Hopefully since you owned up to what happened, and stated you will pay the fine if you are found guilty, you won't get ten pages of lectures on speeding and responsibility.....

!

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by abe_cooldude

I got busted speeding because in my opinion it was circumstantial. The car in front of me was doing about 20-25mph, slowing every few seconds with his blinkers and then turning then off. Went on for few minutes.

What would you do? Stay behind the car till the person in it makes up his mind on if he wants to turn or not, or would you TRY to pass the car? Be honest.

EDIT: to the second reply, I am pretty sure I am going to get a ticket. I just know it. I am praying, since there were no signs or anything, maybe they were just testing the area out or something? I guess I will find out in six business days if I got the ticket or not. But any advice or what to do would be helpful. Never have gotten a ticket before so I am freaking out. I don't mind paying the fine, but I am more worried about insurance rate increase.

Sure it was circumstantial. The circumstances are that you happened to be speeding in front of a radar van.

And what would I do? I wouldn't move over into the right lane, if it necessitated me having to almost double my speed, because I'd squeezed over in front of someone who was traveling that fast.

But if I had ... I'd pay the ticket.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Everybody,
Please don't make the mistake that I am condoning the OP's argument, or trying to help anybody get out of their just due.

I am just telling how it is.