Castleberry, an Alabama speed trap town, may soon resolve lawsuit

AL.com ^ | November 26, 2018 | Christopher Harress

[catnipman]

In Florida a few years ago, the state legislature de-incorporated two towns that were literally nothing but speed traps ...

[DariusBane]

They aren’t the only example. For some odd reason I was born into a world 50 years ago that allows the courts and law enforcement to self fund. Weird state of normal.

[LFOD]

Yep....Waldo and Lawtey FL.
The state got involved finally after 20+ years of complaints.
The Waldo popo was disbanded in 2014 and patrol duties handed over to the Alachua County Sheriff.

[yarddog]

The towns were Lawtey and Waldo. Neither large enough to need a police force.

I did not know they had been unincorporated tho.

[yarddog]

Just read your post. If I knew you had posted it I would not have posted mine.

[moovova]

McBee, SC...

This article is from 2006, and I STILL observe the traffic laws when passing thru on the way to the beach.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1653848/posts

However, I ALWAYS stop at "McLeod Farms Roadside Market and Pumpkin Patch" just past McBee...best darn blueberry or peach cobbler and ice cream!

[Alas Babylon!]

Same here.

Looked it up. Down towards Mobile. It’s on Highway 31 between Evergreen and Brewton.

[SamAdams76]

In my area, the police set up the speed traps during rush hour - bagging working stiffs who are just trying to get to their jobs or get home after a long day. This is a stretch of lonely backroads on Route 136 between Monroe and Westport CT that are nothing but woods and yet the speed limit is set to a ridiculous 35 mph for most of that way. If ever you try going actually that speed, you are going to immediately have tailgaters flashing their high beams at you, giving you the finger and then trying to pass you illegally, creating a much more dangerous situation than doing the 50-55mph you can very safely travel that stretch. So the cops just sit there and they know that giving speeding tickets will be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Then between about 10am and 4pm - the speed traps magically disappear. These rush hour traps are definitely a revenue generator and has nothing to do with safety. They figure that working people are too busy to fight a ticket in court and will usually have the money to just pay it so that they don't have to miss any work time. They are pretty much correct in that. If they went after the midday speeders, the retirees and the welfare bum crowd, well they have all the time in the world to contest tickets and even if they lose the argument at their hearing, it will be a hassle to get them to ever pay it anyhow.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Local speed traps in our area... Johnson Arkansas, Gentry Arkansas, Watts Oklahoma.

First highway ticket I ever got was in Tucumcari NM, just a few hours after the Government lowered the speed from 70 MPH to 55 MPH. Every cop in town was out on I-40 and had 30-40 cars pulled over.

In Johnson, Arkansas, when the new interstate opened with a 70 MPH speed limit, the small corner of Johnson had every cop in town again out and issuing tickets for violating the local 35 MPH rule. The governor of the state had to issue a “Cease and Desist” order to the town.

Every ticket I’ve gotten was in a speed trap town.

[TChad]

I was driving at night through rural Virginia a few years ago, on a highway with a 50 MPH speed limit. As I always do on unfamiliar roads, I kept within the speed limit. An SUV pulled in close behind me, tailgaiting, his lights filling my rear view mirrors. Mile after mile he stayed behind me, despite excellent opportunities to pass. Finally I had enough, and pulled off the road for him to pass, which he did. I was shocked to see that it was a cop.

I wonder how many speeding tickets he generated that way.

[Flaming Conservative]

I used to have to drive through a couple of tiny little towns on my way home. Heavily traveled route. I never saw anyone pulled over, and everybody usually seemed to be going the posted speed limit. But one evening, a tornado had been ripping around, and was sighted about 20 miles due east, and I could see those black low hanging clouds headed right in my direction. I went flying through that little burg about 90 mph. I was the only car on the road, and the police department was right on the road, with the squad car parked out front, as usual. If they saw me, they sure didn’t bother me. But that county is known to be an especially honest one, and that town was pretty much supported by the power plant they had. Guess they didn’t need the extra revenue of a speed trap.

[PAR35]

Surcharge the voters who created the mess. As a message to greedy small towns everywhere.

[BOBWADE]

We had a small town in Missouri called Macks Creek that did the same thing. Missouri ended up passing a law limiting their revenues from speeding tickets.

[BOBWADE]

Macks Creek Missouri did the same thing in Missouri passed a law limiting the revenues derived from speeding tickets. They ended up writing a lot of tickets for illegal Lane usage and other garbage like that. Eventually they went broke after being raided by the state police.

[fungoking]

Missouri passed the “Macks Creek” law that limited the % of revenue a city can derive from traffic tickets. Macks Creek was a famous speed trap town, no longer has a police department.

Years of public complaints did little, the state legislator getting a ticket got the ball rolling.

[NonValueAdded]

Lol

[Figment]

That part of AL is rife with those type towns. 2 lane highways that go through towns that look like a time warp.

[Figment]

Another to avoid is US hwy 45 between the Mississippi line and Mobile. It’s 75 miles of two lane road through towns like this

[Mr.Unique]

Small town speed trap shysters get their comeuppance

This is Everytown USA. Big city, small town, it's all the same.

For your safety, of course.

[CrimsonTidegirl]

Thanks!