Speed traps Fl hwy 301

[koda55]

Most people know that the towns of Lawtey and Waldo in Fl on US Hwy 301 are speed traps. I just read another article that adds Hampton in Bradford County, on US Hwy 301 to this list.

[CavemanCharlie]

I always say that speeding tickets are just a fee you have to pay if you want to drive. Just like renewing your drivers license or your license plates.

[down_home]

Just typed in Waldo Florida speed trap.
As of late 2012 it was ranked the 3rd worse speed trap in America.
Good enough said for me.
while I was looking I looked at Speed Trap.org and it is amazing what is still going on across America.
Houston Texas the worse. The situation to and from Pdre Island is operated for speed ticket even putting extra officers on during peak tourist and spring break times. They appear to be rather ope about it.
Maryland, several or all cities and cameras. Just on and on.
Amazing the amount of official criminality.

[The_Texan]

No, the AAA sponsored signs were removed in either 1999 or 2000.

[JJBIRISH]

are these signs still there…
to replace the AAA signs...
they were coming into Lawtey to...

[2012Coleman]

Speaking of ROTFLMAO:

Hey Joe, I think if you do a little research you will find that AAA removed that sign over 10 years ago and no longer list Waldo or Lawtey as a speed trap. There are NO hidden speed signs, NO hidden cops. Everything is very open and well marked, in advance, so I still say, there is NO speed trap, but just a couple of towns that are enforcing their speed laws equally.....

Somebody should inform AAA about this

[The_Texan]

2012Coleman wrote:


Since your information seems to come from Google, try this search "Waldo florida speed trap" You obviously have never driven through this town.

No, quite the opposite. My info comes from living in Citrus county and being a FL LEO that was in the Waldo, Lawtey areas often enough in an official capacity to see the transformation from a speed trap with AAA signs, in the early to mid 90"s, to a town that was within all applicable laws and regulations of the state and satisfied AAA as being above board and properly signed, before the new millennium.

Was I ever stopped by the Waldo PD, you bet I was, driving my motorhome NB on 301 coming into town over the overpass. Did I deserve the stop, yes, I was exceeding the posted speed limit, which if I had been paying attention, was signed with ample distance to slow down between each reduction.

I still drive 301 every time I am in the area, as it is a shortcut from our home in Citrus county to I-95 north of Jax, so I KNOW what the signs say and how far apart they are spaced. I do NOT need to be a Washington lawyer looking for business, to know they are within all FDOT guidelines.

Sorry, but Waldo and Lawtey are NOT a speed trap, but do rigidly enforce their speed laws, with correct and ample signage.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

ROTFLMAO A long time ago a friend of mine, who is now gone said he wanted us to buy up two sides of the highway.

I asked for what? :h

He said we could then apply for a township and open up our own town. I could be the Mayor and he wanted to be the police Chief!

I told him I still don't get it? Why would we do all of this?

He said don't you get it we could quit our jobs!!

We could buy an old school bus and sit it along the road and turn the lights on for 15 or 20 minutes at a time. Anybody that drove around the bus we could ticket. Since it was our town we could charge any amount we wanted!!!

We never did get around to buying that land. Sounds like someone took Red's idea! RIP Red ol buddy, I may still end up doing this yet!!

[2012Coleman]

The Texan wrote:

JoeH wrote:
AAA thinks its a speed trap and posted it as such -- look here . Per a newspaper article a couple years ago, the vast majority of the city budget revenue comes from the
'income' from issuing speeding tickets. As such, expect no changes

It is easy to overshoot the speed limit as it does change rapidly... I've never gotten a ticket , but every time I go thru there, I see cars pulled over and getting tickets.

Hey Joe, I think if you do a little research you will find that AAA removed that sign over 10 years ago and no longer list Waldo or Lawtey as a speed trap. There are NO hidden speed signs, NO hidden cops. Everything is very open and well marked, in advance, so I still say, there is NO speed trap, but just a couple of towns that are enforcing their speed laws equally.....

Since your information seems to come from Google, try this search "Waldo florida speed trap" You obviously have never driven through this town. The following quote from the search describes the situation in this town to a T:

In a letter to The Sun, Carl R. Ramey, a former Washington regulatory attorney who lives in Gainesville, gave this insight on Waldo:

"First, when approaching Waldo from Gainesville on Route 24, one is met with a series of rapidly descending, tightly spaced changes in the posted speed limit having little, if anything, to do with changing roadside conditions.

"It's normal, of course, to reduce speed sharply when entering small towns from rural highways. What's not normal is the arbitrary and abrupt change in speeds leading into Waldo, from 65, to 55, to 45, to 35 (even 15) miles per hour over a very short distance. With no obvious conditions dictating multiple, short-spaced speed zones, it must be presumed they exist mostly to help catch unsuspecting (mostly non-local) motorists."

I think most people would call this a speed trap.

[JJBIRISH]

billsenick wrote:
D & M could not have said it better !!

He did fine until he got to the “They just want to bloviate” part…
as though it’s just one side of the argument bloviating…
I guess you could distinguish between the opposing sides as bloviaters and bellyachers, that way you can put labels on everyone…

[billsenick]

D & M could not have said it better !!

[D___M]

koda55 wrote:
When I posted the information I was just trying to let people know about Hampton being mentioned in the news. Hamtpton has just been identified as doing the same thing. Ticket revenue was over 211.000 dollars. Years ago AAA had put the other two towns out as speed traps. I just referenced them. Take the information as you wish.
For those that jumped to the conclusion that I speed, I do not. In 48 years of driving I have never received a speeding ticket. I also used to be an otr driver.

Don't worry about it. You posted the information as a courtesy. The law and order folks will jump on you. You don't know them, and what do you care what they think. I posted a thread about how DC uses their new camera system to raise revenues and I got the same "you need to obey the law" rhetoric. Let them govern themselves accordingly. Most of them won't even drive through Hampton. They just want to bloviate.

[down_home]

There are a lot of Speed traps across the Country. There are a lot of places with arbitrary and too low speed limits and too many traffic signals.
Speeds and access, to state hwys used to be controlled by the state here. CC and a bunch of Flea Market Operators and 7-11 types finally got the Legislature to give control to the towns and little bergs.
As a result it takes all day to make a fifty mile trip. On divided four and five lane hwys they will put up a 45 mph or even 20 mph sign for the length of their jurisdictions where they expanded to the hwy. the goals are traffic fine money.

Second but the biggest reason and problem 7-11 type operations want lower limits and new intersections, to bring in customer traffic. The result is our highways are one long strip development, which use to be illegal, with countless traffic lights.
To all those that say the tricks of the trade such as traffic cameras, lights, and signeage is for public safety, 90% of the time that is bull hockey. It is to raise money. A long long time ago we had the proposition before us on all this for revenue. No one would stand for it.
You have nanny groups to or just individuals who get these little bergs to drop traffic on major thoroughfares, designed to get produce tom market and commerce to play in the game ad drop the speed limit to 20 mph as one berg in Tn. The States ought to take back control of state hwys, access and speed limits. Let the strip developers locate in town centers or go somewhere else. Restrict little bergs putting in new intersections and lights and lower speed limits to help these convenience stores etc. It would save billions, in fuel use and restore transport capabilties to somewhere other than Interstates. Any Officials guilty of Speed trap schemes including cameras should be jailed for the crimes they commit on the traveling public.

[koda55]

When I posted the information I was just trying to let people know about Hampton being mentioned in the news. Hamtpton has just been identified as doing the same thing. Ticket revenue was over 211.000 dollars. Years ago AAA had put the other two towns out as speed traps. I just referenced them. Take the information as you wish.
For those that jumped to the conclusion that I speed, I do not. In 48 years of driving I have never received a speeding ticket. I also used to be an otr driver.

[Fredzo]

I used to tow my fiver from the Los Angeles area to St. Augustine every year for a month to take care of problems and perform upgrades at our site at St. Johns Airport.

I'd go over to Gainesville every other weekend to spend time with my sister and her family. My BIL is a retired FSP Lieutenant, and before the first trip over, he warned me about these SPEED TRAPS.

I always tread lightly across that stretch of highway. Besides, if I sped, I might miss a boiled peanut stand!