DC 295/I-295 thru the District a major speed trap? (Washington: construction, dangerous)
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I was down in National Harbor a few weeks ago for a friend's birthday and got a whopping $125 ticket while driving through the District on 295 on my way back to Baltimore County. I had discovered the 295 shortcut through DC two years ago through Google maps when driving to Richmond before that I didn't even know there was a continuous freeway through Washington DC. The camera said I was going 62 MPH where the speed limit was 50 and this was where I think INterstate 295 north becomes DC 295.
If any of yall commute that way regularly is the speed limit initially 55 mph on I-295 then suddenly drops? If so I will use that as a defense when I writre my letter to Metropolitan Police to contest the ticket or ask for leniency. It was a major freeway so I assumed it was at least 55 mph and based on the nature of the road it was ridiculous to have such a low speed limit.
This never happened when I was going to Richmond on the same highway2 years ago, was this recently changed? Was the 50 mph stretch purposely changed to be a speed trap and the cameras installed so that the city can gain revenue from tickets? Or is it also to discourage thru traffic from using 295 so that they will take the longer distance around 495 instead?
I got hit with one of these, too. I'm new, so I don't yet know all of the driving ins & outs/speedtraps/cameras,etc. yet, so when in doubt, I stay in the 60-65 range. Major mistake!
Oh you're from the Southwest? I remember the 75 mph in Colorado and Utah and parts of Texas when driving across the country. It was even 75 on an urban freeway thru Colorado Springs. In Maryland the big highways are usually 65 mph though its 55 on some more urban routes like I-695 around Baltimore or the Capital Beltway. I know where most of the cameras are on Baltmore's freeways and our local streets hereand where all the red light cameras are but DC shocked me I was so upset to see that ticket and to see they charged me so much for it. A ticket like that in Baltimore County would be like $75. But apparently 295 in Washington is only 50 MPH.
60-65 is usually fine around here but 295 is an exception apparently.
Again the last time two years ago I took that road I was probably going the same speed they either added cameras or they lowered the speed limit to make a speed trap or both. DC is so expensive in everything including how every bar seems to charge cover and a beer (like a Coors Light not even some fancy imported stuff) is like $6 or $7 compared to the $2 I'm used to.
Yes, it does drop from 55mph to 50 mph right before passing the speeding cameras. If you are unfamiliar with this side of 295 entering the DC border, there is a good chance you will ignore the 5mph drop in the speed limit, ultimately causing you to surpass the speed limit threshold of what is 9-12 mph I believe.I commute into DC from southern maryland, so I have caught on to this particular speeding trap, as $125 a pop will force you to learn fairly quickly. Your best bet is to fight it and hope for leniency via adjudication services.What I am about to say is somewhat speculative, but for some reason, I don't see as many speeding cameras in or around the northwestern areas of dc and Montgomery county bordering areas as much, and I am wondering if someone else can attest to this....In any case,sorry this happened, and Good luck in fighting the ticket.
@Tom Yeah, you're right. Where I'm from it's 60-65 on highways going through the city and 70+ going on a stretch of highway. We have city streets where it's 45! (Especially around Texas.)
So yeah, this speed limit thing is a big change for me--just traffic in general here! I'll keep those speed limits in mind. I hate getting tickets and, like you, I was super upset too. I'm not rich!
@Lakers Wow. Speechless. People told me ticketing was a big money maker here, but I didn't think it was that cutthroat. I was in that 9-12 range. I'll see what I can do in fighting this ticket.
Last edited by heygirlhey; 05-08-2012 at 12:37 AM..
Reason: added response.
@Lakers......I'm not sure about the freeways in Montgomery County but the local roads do have a lot of cameras around. I know of one place on Randolph Road in Rockville where they purposely put the camera at the bottom of a hill to catch people and I know there are a few red light cameras on Route 355 in various places. I hear in MoCo they also really love to have those speed enforcement vehicles driving around since if they build a camera and people learn of it it will stop making money with the vehicles they are always at random places. I'm not at all familiar with Northwest Washington or anywhere in the District aside from the Mall area and have driven on the city streets maybe two times ever.
@Heygirl....hope you enjoy DC.....its a lot more chill here in Baltimore espeically the county. DC/Montgomery County/Northern Virginia are VERY different from the rest of Maryland and Virginia!
You're not going to get ant leniency. DC 295 is not an interstate like the portion that is I-295. It is a local highway. It's not up to Interstate standards. It gets kind of dangerous and the speed drop does make some sense there. Regardless of whether it is justified to drop the speed limit or not, you are still responsible for paying attention to the limit. How are you going to explain the lack of attention to the road signs and conditions? You broke the law. Pay up. Also, there is no 9-12 mph cushion in DC. MD does, DC does not.
I guess next time you gotta slow down a little when you drive that
way through the city. did you at least see a sign tho? don't let a dc
ticket unravel you. that's how the feds slip you in the straight-jacket
lol. just let it be a learning experience, then don't worry about it.
Remember, if you see horizontal stripes on the roadway intersection with lane indicators, you're in a speed camera zone. Just a helpful tip, especially around Maryland and parts of DC.
You're not going to get ant leniency. DC 295 is not an interstate like the portion that is I-295. It is a local highway. It's not up to Interstate standards.
Exactly. Even you understand that it's not Interstate 295. It has narrow lanes, blind curves, low bridges, and extensive construction around 11th St. It's not safe to speed there -- or on many other similar non-interstate highways around here, like the NPS parkways. Unlike interstate highways, they were not engineered to be safely driven at 70+ MPH; they were engineered for 45-50 MPH.
Besides, the entirety of DC 295 is 4.2 miles long. You'll save less than 90 seconds by going 70 instead of 50. That amount of time is not worth driving unsafely.
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