Driving to Iowa? Beware this camera speed trap!

Donate To GopherHole

Maybe only speed by 10 mph and you'll be okay.
 



KillerGopherFan said:
Nope, they have a zero tolerance. 1-5 mph = $25, 6-10 mph = $50, and so on.
Click to expand...

That is not true in the article you posted nor in my experience driving through



Care to post a link that backs up what you are saying. The article says they don't even take pictures unless you are 12 over.
 


Maybe
don't
speed.

Just a thought.

Bring on the "logic" now.
 

highwayman said:
Maybe
don't
speed.

Just a thought.

Bring on the "logic" now.
Click to expand...

"The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), after a review of all traffic cameras in the state, in March ordered Cedar Rapids to remove two of the four sets of cameras and move the other two.

Most speeders nabbed on the interstate in Cedar Rapids — 94 percent overall in 2013 — are caught by the cameras at the J Avenue underpass just north of the S-curve. The cameras pointed at the northbound lanes there should be removed, the DOT said, since drivers by then are already past the danger of the S curve.

The J Avenue cameras in the southbound lanes, which catch the most speeders of all, must be moved farther south, closer to the beginning of the curve, the DOT said. They are 896 feet from the sign that drops the speed limit to 55 mph, which is also posted with a “photo enforced” sign. That’s too close, said Steve Gent, director of traffic and safety for the Iowa DOT.

“A thousand feet goes by really quick when you’re driving,” Gent said. “It’s critical that the public believe these cameras are about safety.”

The city appealed, saying if motorists know there will only be a speed camera just before they hit the curve, they’ll speed up after they pass it, defeating the purpose of the system. “There are no disadvantages to the current … program, other than displeasure among violators,” the city wrote.

The DOT is scheduled to answer the appeal by May 16."
 

Some guy said:
That is not true in the article you posted nor in my experience driving through

Care to post a link that backs up what you are saying. The article says they don't even take pictures unless you are 12 over.
Click to expand...
I'm just posting what it says on the $75 ticket I received. The day I was driving, traffic was extremely light and I didn't feel I was driving at an unsafe speed. I was speeding, just like much of traffic tends to do on a 4 hour trip. I'm not disputing my violation. However, my understanding is that state officials aren't necessarily in agreement with the use of photo enforced speed traps by a municipality doing so on an Interstate highway.
It has been suggested that this has less to do with safety, and more to do with collecting money from unsuspecting out-of-town drivers. I'm just trying to save some Gopher fans from having their pocket picked by Cedar Rapids.
If there were a safety issue with the S curve, which I sure didn't notice, I would think the city could take steps to warn people with signs and flashing yellow lights. But, they prefer to send tickets after the fact to collect money from people who won't likely drive that way often or at all as evidenced by the 16,000 Minnesotans that have been ticketed since the camera was installed.
They got me. I'm just warning others.
 

Nice of you to warn.

Although people who drive 10 over deserve to not be warned and get speeding tickets.
 



Speeding tickets are a necessary evil. Just accept them.

How's my troll game?
 

Some guy said:
Although people who drive 10 over deserve to not be warned and get speeding tickets.
Click to expand...

I think their trip to H E Double Hockey Sticks would be punishment enough.
 

If all out-of-towners could collaborate to drop their speed to 40 mph through that stretch, the locals would get tired of the delay and push for removal of the cameras. Iowa is notorious for nailing out-of-towners, and not just out-of-staters. When a grad student at Iowa State, I got ticketed in an adjacent county immediately after having three "local" cars blow by me. Iowa plates have the county noted on them.
 

Some guy said:
Maybe only speed by 10 mph and you'll be okay.
Click to expand...
Hey Some guy, I haven't had a speeding ticket in 10 years or more until this one. I'm sure you're a perfect citizen, but save your judgment for someone who cares about your opinion.
 



As someone who lives in Cedar Rapids, just don't go faster than 10 over and you will be fine. There are only two cameras going each way, one on each side of the 'S' Curve.
 

IAHawk2011 said:
As someone who lives in Cedar Rapids, just don't go faster than 10 over and you will be fine. There are only two cameras going each way, one on each side of the 'S' Curve.
Click to expand...
Can we trust you??
 

J Avenue got yours truly driving back from bowl game last year. Good to have that reminder out there.
There's a ton of complaints in regard to the distance required from the enforcement sign to the actual camera and posted limit.
 

IAHawk2011 said:
As someone who lives in Cedar Rapids, just don't go faster than 10 over and you will be fine. There are only two cameras going each way, one on each side of the 'S' Curve.
Click to expand...
:

"The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), after a review of all traffic cameras in the state, in March ordered Cedar Rapids to remove two of the four sets of cameras and move the other two...The DOT is scheduled to answer the appeal by May 16."

Congratulations to the Iowa DOT! :drink:
 

My biggest Iowa driving complaint - they think turn signals are optional. I lived in IA for 5 years, and I lost track of the # of times I would be following some vehicle which would stop in traffic, then turn right or left without signalling.

And speaking of speed traps - one to watch in MN is going through Lake Crystal on highway 60. speed limit through city limits is 50, but a lot of people don't slow down coming into town, and the local cops nail a lot of people who are still rolling at 60 or 65. when I go through there now, I set my cruise at about 45 just to be safe.
 

The City of Cedar Rapids is appealing the DOT, so it will be going to court. In the meantime, Cedar Rapids is leaving the cameras up. They did, however, add warning signs for the speed limit reduction. Basically, if the speed limit is 60 mph, go however fast you want (at your own risk); there are no cameras. When the speed limit drops to 55, slow down, because there are two cameras going each way.
 

IAHawk2011 said:
When the speed limit drops to 55, slow down, because there are two cameras going each way.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I'm talking about. They drop the speed limit and start the cameras at the same time. No deception there. Just trying to keep people safe. Haha.
 

I've heard that the company that they use to operate the cameras gets paid by the amount of tickets that are handed out.
 

what happens if you tell the state of iowa to f*ck off and not pay it--I Imagine if you get pulled over by a real pig in the state in the future, there might be a warrant for your arrest-but if you do not register a car in Iowa, screw the pig farmers.
 

the_chucker said:
what happens if you tell the state of iowa to f*ck off and not pay it--I Imagine if you get pulled over by a real pig in the state in the future, there might be a warrant for your arrest-but if you do not register a car in Iowa, screw the pig farmers.
Click to expand...

Nothing. It simply goes to debt collectors.
 



This poor woman got nabbed twice.

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom