Waldo Fl. speed trap update

[Laman]

I don't have the link to the story but the famous (or infamous) Waldo, Fl. police dept. was dis-banded by the city council on Tuesday. The dept. is still under investigation by the FDLE. Reason given was lack of funds, funny since the fines levied by the police accounted for a significant amount of the city budget.

[down_home]

Seen some comments on fuel mileage vs speed. I paid a sin tax for the C63 because it was rated 18mpg, on hwy.
The computer consistently says 22-23 mpg up grade down grad, at 75, on Interstate, on cruise or just watching the pedal. I don't know what it delivers at 100 or whatever.
At 55 it is like a troubled child and stays, in fourth and fifth gear or sometimes 6th and it starts, in second gear and never hits seventh. Fuel mileage is about 16mpg.
It has torque and can take the legs, of long gears and speed.
The Mh at about 62 delivers the best mileage as did both our Duallies. It seems somebody is designing commonality, of drive train gearing etc engine efficiency peaks.
The Edge on a good day will get 21 mg, nothing like the EPA sticker and sucks big time, for performance. Fifty five is nervous in it. 70mph is just fine. It doesn't really car for higher speeds nor do I in it.
The Pickup is a 5.4 with 177,000 miles and gets 16 mpg at 70 and maybe 17 at 55. It weight a bunch though and you can haul stuff in it much more than you can the Edge and is more comfortable.
I'll pay the difference, in fuel for the quietness performance and roominess. It likes 70 to 90. but idles around at 55 comfortably and only four speeds.
So 55 doesn't save much or any fuel, if that is the justifications for 55 mph. Before Gerald got the bright idea of 55 speed limit was 75 in Tn. Dumb nannies won't let it be raised in Nashville.

[CavemanCharlie]

I went to Chicago about , oh heck, probley 20 years ago now. Anyway, as you got closer and closer to downtown the speed limit was dropped slower and slower. The traffic got heavier and heavier. Problem was, everybody was going faster and faster. On the edge of town everybody was driving the limit. By the time you got close to downtown everybody was 20 over. It was weird. Don't try that in Minneapolis / St. Paul.

[Jarlaxle]

At 70, I'm one of the slower vehicles. This is a 3-lane Interstate-standard highway and the 55MPH speed on it is an idiotic holdover from when it was a 2-lane with tight ramps and short merges.

[CavemanCharlie]

Jarlaxle wrote:

noplace2 wrote:

down home wrote:
Ten to fifteen over is allowable, in most places now.

Would you, or someone, explain why this is? And further, why it is acceptable in some areas more than others, if indeed that is the case? Why bother with speed limits at all if what you describe is true? 70 in a 55? 85 in a 70? Well sure, go for it. I'd love to hear from a LEO about your statement.

Further, if you drive 70 in a 55 zone, over my hour you will get to your destination 15 minutes ahead of me. 15 MINUTES! Was it worth the cost in terms of always having to look over your shoulder for LE and the increased wear and tear on your vehicles (presumably since you are posting in a general RV issues forum you utilize one)?

Just on a practical note, given that 15 mph differential between 55 and 70 with a few exceptions (don't go there and miss the point) most vehicles will experience a significant increase in fuel mileage at the lower speed to the benefit of everyone.

I (and pretty much everyone else) run 70 on a 55MPH-posted highway every day. The low speed limit is idiotic (it was never changed when the road was improved and widened a few years ago) and totally ignored. (About a mile past where I exit to go home, the speed limit goes to what it should be, 65.)

My Caddy doesn't use any less gas at 55...it's constantly hunting in and out of overdrive and TCC lockup at that speed.

10 over around here may get you pulled over but, you will most likely get a verbal warning unless it's during one of the this states extra police on the roads periods. (Holidays are one of those examples) 15 over will get you a ticket though. I usually drive about 8 over in a 55 zone. I don't speed in town and around here you will get pulled over for a little as 4 over in town.

My Lincoln actually gets better gas mileage at around 65. I allow it to gain 3-4 mph going down hill and scrub off 3-4 going up hill. It stays in OD this way and gets it's best mileage. My pickup get the same mileage at 65 or 55 if I use the above method.

[Jarlaxle]

noplace2 wrote:

down home wrote:
Ten to fifteen over is allowable, in most places now.

Would you, or someone, explain why this is? And further, why it is acceptable in some areas more than others, if indeed that is the case? Why bother with speed limits at all if what you describe is true? 70 in a 55? 85 in a 70? Well sure, go for it. I'd love to hear from a LEO about your statement.

Further, if you drive 70 in a 55 zone, over my hour you will get to your destination 15 minutes ahead of me. 15 MINUTES! Was it worth the cost in terms of always having to look over your shoulder for LE and the increased wear and tear on your vehicles (presumably since you are posting in a general RV issues forum you utilize one)?

Just on a practical note, given that 15 mph differential between 55 and 70 with a few exceptions (don't go there and miss the point) most vehicles will experience a significant increase in fuel mileage at the lower speed to the benefit of everyone.

I (and pretty much everyone else) run 70 on a 55MPH-posted highway every day. The low speed limit is idiotic (it was never changed when the road was improved and widened a few years ago) and totally ignored. (About a mile past where I exit to go home, the speed limit goes to what it should be, 65.)

My Caddy doesn't use any less gas at 55...it's constantly hunting in and out of overdrive and TCC lockup at that speed.

[noplace2]

fla-gypsy wrote:

I'm still going to drive the speed limit and it is actually easy to do regardless of all the "you have to stand on the brakes" hype. If you are travelling the speed limit approaching these areas there is no issue obeying the signs as you pass through.

Could not agree with you more.

[wa8yxm]

The town of Waldo made it into this weeks premium THIS IS TRUE news letter

www.thisistrue.com

However I do not know if it will make it into the free edition as that comes out later in the week.

And other than to re-iterate, I have no more to say on this.. Personally, I will not visit Waldo any time soon.

[fla-gypsy]

p220sigman wrote:
I don't know about other towns or states, but the article I linked to earlier clearly indicated that the Florida Department of Transportation set the speed limits in Waldo. "The limits were set at the sole direction — without input from Waldo — of the Florida Department of Transportation, which uses a method of traffic pattern analysis to determine prudent speeds. The 45-mph zone where the majority of the tickets in Waldo were written was created to slow down motorists for pedestrians who cross the highway for the flea market."

Additionally, even thought the PD is no more, there are no plans to change the speed limits. Also from the article, ""We are going to monitor the situation very closely and see how law enforcement handles it," FDOT Traffic Engineer Tony Falotico said about the speed limits in Waldo. "I firmly believe those speed limits are set at what they need to be."

Falotico also said the last study on the U.S. 301 speed limits in Waldo was conducted in 2012 and that FDOT has no plans to conduct another in the near future."

Personally, I've been through there many times and never remotely felt in danger of getting a ticket. I do completely agree that quotas for traffic enforcement are wrong and unethical, but I think you will see the other agencies who have jurisdiction there step up the enforcement efforts because it seems to be what the citizens of the community want them to do.

This is all you really need to know. DOT set those limits and places the signs. The Waldo police chief decided to make it a profit center for the town of Waldo. My guess is he didn't just come up with this on his own but was encouraged to do so by other town officials or due to corruption. The FDLE is investigating what went down there. I'm still going to drive the speed limit and it is actually easy to do regardless of all the "you have to stand on the brakes" hype. If you are travelling the speed limit approaching these areas there is no issue obeying the signs as you pass through. For pete's sake it takes 5 minutes tops.

[noplace2]

ford truck guy wrote:



I agree... I do believe its time to either shut this thread down,,, or stop reading... I am not sure I can read another slam against spoon

So stop reading already!

I'm relatively certain that officer Putman hasn't taken any of this personally. If he has, no "attack" was ever intended. My take is that we are engaged in fairly civil discourse and the thread is still relevant vis-a vis the circumstances in Waldo.

[ford_truck_guy]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

noplace2 wrote:

arrogant,irresponsible,immature and power hungry individuals in LE.

Yikes.

A concerted attack on a law enforcement officer. Dunno what the attacker's motive is to continue to harass Public Servant "Officer Spoon", but I would ask:

Would we here tolerate such an attack on a member of the Federal Military?

I'd point out that the Officer under repeated attack here serves in one of the most dangerous places in the U.S.A.- likely far more dangerous, statistically speaking, than doing duty in one of those fortresses we've built overseas to give Federal Soldiers a place to hide/protect themselves from the local population. This not to mention that our own day-to-day safety/security is much more dependent on Local Law Enforcement than on those doing time in one of our Foreign Adventure theaters.

And yet... so few voices raised in protest.

Shame on us!

I agree... I do believe its time to either shut this thread down,,, or stop reading... I am not sure I can read another slam against spoon....As a LEO . they are asked to do a rather large job with sometimes NO TIME TO REACT .... In my eyes its a thankless job...The entire nation could second guess your decision... not me...Lets let it go...

[Francesca_Knowl]

noplace2 wrote:

arrogant,irresponsible,immature and power hungry individuals in LE.

Yikes.

A concerted attack on a law enforcement officer. Dunno what the attacker's motive is to continue to harass Public Servant "Officer Spoon", but I would ask:

Would we here tolerate such an attack on a member of the Federal Military?

I'd point out that the Officer under repeated attack here serves in one of the most dangerous places in the U.S.A.- likely far more dangerous, statistically speaking, than doing duty in one of those fortresses we've built overseas to give Federal Soldiers a place to hide/protect themselves from the local population. This not to mention that our own day-to-day safety/security is much more dependent on Local Law Enforcement than on those doing time in one of our Foreign Adventure theaters.

And yet... so few voices raised in protest.

Shame on us!

[navegator]

There are no coinsidenses in police work and there are always two sides to the story!

Likers and dislikers, you do your job and at the end of the day you go home, after you witnesed a 3 year old little girl that was boilled to death by the drug using aunt and boy friend, knowing that you had to hold your anger and content and not shoot the bastards right then and there, that stays with you for ever and then the next day you get the idiot that was doing 60 in a 25 mile an hour school zone with kids walking home, and he gets all pissed that he gets to see the judge and pay a speeding ticket, luck would have it that he did not kill more kids.

Hate the cops if you want, the police still try to prtect you from you.

navegator

[noplace2]

spoon059 wrote:
I cannot make the speed limit 70 mph.

But in actuality you are arbitrarily making the speed limit 69 in a 55.

When you had a kid, did you smack his bottom and send him to time out for every single last thing that he did wrong?

Never went the progeny route.

If you took the time to read my post in its entirety, you would have seen my logic for allow 14 over.

Read every word. Still don't understand it and I'm far from ignorant.

Just to give you a different perspective about your view of law enforcement officers...

You state that you generally used to respect LEO's. You had a few bad dealings with a few bad LEO's, so now you don't respect them.

Again you read what you want to read. I did NOT state that I don't respect them, only that that respect has slipped.

Is it okay now that humans are scum?

Am I, as a police officer, allowed to generalize a large cross section of the population because of bad interactions with those 3 people?

There is no need to lecture me about human nature. I am a retired RN who spent 17 years in inpatient adult and adolescent psychiatry. Just as you, I've seen the worst that the species has to offer. And with another 7 years in Hospice care I've seen the best.

I don't categorize anyone.

[p220sigman]

I think that cities can change the limit on municipal/local roads, but not state highways. Section 316.189, FS says "(1)MUNICIPAL SPEED.—The maximum speed within any municipality is 30 miles per hour. With respect to residence districts, a municipality may set a maximum speed limit of 20 or 25 miles per hour on local streets and highways after an investigation determines that such a limit is reasonable. It shall not be necessary to conduct a separate investigation for each residence district. A municipality may set speed zones altering the speed limit, both as to maximum, not to exceed 60 miles per hour, and minimum, after investigation determines such a change is reasonable and in conformity to criteria promulgated by the Department of Transportation, except that no changes shall be made on state highways or connecting links or extensions thereof, which shall be changed only by the Department of Transportation."