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First off, I already know how dumb it is to get a speeding ticket in Palmer. I know they are always there but got distracted and speed crept up. I had just lifted when I saw the LEO point at me and the shoulder. I had hoped i would go much longer before having something to contribute in this section.

As soon as I pulled over, i took my two cards out of my wallet and reached into the glove box and got my insurance. As I was straightening back up in my seat, I dropped my DL between my seat and my console. My pistol was under my seat. I tried to get the license with my fingers but it just dropped down the rest of the way. I put my window down and put my hands up on my wheel with my CHL and insurance card.

When the LEO approached, I handed him my CHL and my insurance and immediately said, "my handgun is under my seat and I just dropped my license between my seat. Would you like me to reach under the seat to try to get it". He stepped back a step, put his hand on his sidearm and said go ahead. I reached around under there and could not get it. I told him so and asked if I could get out and try from the back seat, and reach under. He told me to go ahead. I got out, opened back door and was able to retrieve my DL and give it to him. I got back in, he did his thing and gave me my ticket and then said something to the affect of "here are your three documents" and I was on my way.

All in all, he was very professional. Realy didn't treat me any different. I would prefer not to have gotten the ticket but that's not his fault. I was pleased with his non-reaction to my predicament. He did a good job.

One of the more notorious speed ntraps along that corridor. Palmer -Ferris -Wilmer. They probably all generate most of there income with tickets. I wish there was a way to challenge speed limits and reductions arbitrarily based on nothing more than revenue generation.

There is a way to challenge speed limits. You just need to show that it is not the highest reasonable and prudent speed for existing conditions. You can actually ask for the engineering or traffic study the posted limit is based on, if you really want to question it.

I have to warn you that doing so is not guaranteed to do anything except irritate the powers that be in that area.

sounds like a well trained, experienced ticket machine.

glad he was professional and didn't hassle you for being human.

schufflerbot wrote:sounds like a well trained, experienced ticket machine.

glad he was professional and didn't hassle you for being human.

I just went through the area an hour ago traveling to Grand Prairie. I noticed there are no speed limit signs after I saw the sign for Palmer on I45 N. (at least I didn't see any) We come up many times a year to see our oldest daughter, so next time I am coming NB I'm going to check where the signs are. I think there is a 65 MPH sign before you get to Palmer. I wasn't paying a lot of attention because there was an overturned 18 wheeler in Ennis that had north bound traffic backed up for miles and diverted to the frontage road. After we got back on I45 I saw Palmer had someone stopped on SB side and then Ferris patrol was perched on the feeder high above the hiway. I made sure I stayed at the limit.

You put the LEO in a really bad spot. He showed a great deal of courage and calmness in letting you get your license. It would have been just as easy to cuff you and sit you on the curb, or in the back of his cruiser. You also handled it well (no pun intended). I would have been soiling myself if I dropped my license like that!

johnson0317 wrote:You put the LEO in a really bad spot. He showed a great deal of courage and calmness in letting you get your license. It would have been just as easy to cuff you and sit you on the curb, or in the back of his cruiser. You also handled it well (no pun intended). I would have been soiling myself if I dropped my license like that!

Yep, it could have been very different. I was half expecting a different experience but it worked out well. I'd like to think that having he CHL caused him to allow me to reach under the seat and just keep an eye on me. I was pleased with his reaction.

Drove back from Grand Prairies yesterday and missed the Houston exit on I20 so we drove on to Dowdy Ferry Rd and took it south back toward I45. As I saw the I-45 overpass ahead I noticed Hutchin's finest parked on the left side of the road. Probably catches a lot of folks coming around from the feeder a little too fast as they take a short cut to I-20 East I didn't see Plamer or Ferris PD on I45 but did see a DPS near Palmer NB.

The Palmer area is indeed a speed trap. Everytime I head down to Houston (from the DFW Airport area) I always expect to see someone being pulled over once I get off of I-20 and exit onto I-45.

datn wrote:The Palmer area is indeed a speed trap. Everytime I head down to Houston (from the DFW Airport area) I always expect to see someone being pulled over once I get off of I-20 and exit onto I-45.

Yes indeed! I have made the Grapevine to Houston drive MANY times and usually I will see a speed trap of some type on I-45 between I-20 and Ennis (sometimes I'll see Dallas County Sheriffs running radar on I-45 South of Dallas to I-20 as well). A lot of small towns in that area. I usually grab 5, sometimes 10 over, but that's it. Learned the "hard way" years ago, got popped for 11 over in Wilmer, Palmer, etc....the friendly (I do mean that) officer said 11 over and he'll issue a citation, 10 and under is just fine, but don't push the line. That has typically been my experience over the years/miles.

What, exactly, is a "speed trap"?

PUCKER wrote:

datn wrote:The Palmer area is indeed a speed trap. Everytime I head down to Houston (from the DFW Airport area) I always expect to see someone being pulled over once I get off of I-20 and exit onto I-45.

Yes indeed! I have made the Grapevine to Houston drive MANY times and usually I will see a speed trap of some type on I-45 between I-20 and Ennis (sometimes I'll see Dallas County Sheriffs running radar on I-45 South of Dallas to I-20 as well). A lot of small towns in that area. I usually grab 5, sometimes 10 over, but that's it. Learned the "hard way" years ago, got popped for 11 over in Wilmer, Palmer, etc....the friendly (I do mean that) officer said 11 over and he'll issue a citation, 10 and under is just fine, but don't push the line. That has typically been my experience over the years/miles.

5 or 10 over? I must be old. I rarely do more than 2 over anymore.

I must be even older, I stick right to the speed limit, or a mile or two under. Since I used to be a little bit of a speed demon when I was younger, I can now start to understand why people in the 70's drive 20 under the speed limit...it is just a gradual progression...

RJ

Oldgringo wrote:What, exactly, is a "speed trap"?

I would describe a "speed trap" as any situation where the municipality manipulates the signage or locations of signs to increase revenues by making it easy for tickets to be written. I actually think there is a statute that limits the percentage of total city revenue that can come fron traffic violations...something like 50-60% maybe...and above that they have to give it to the state general fund, but I'm not sure it's still in effect. Most often see it in small towns, looking to generate income. I just saw a prime example last week out in Texline, Tx...on New Mexico border west of Dalhart. Population of 521, one convenience store, a grain elevator, one small motel, one service station/tire repair, and couple of welding shops. Speed limit is 35mph thru town, but they have a school zone that's 20mph which is marked by suspended flashing light even with the convenience store. The SZ extends for 4 blocks. There are 2 issues that make it a speed trap IMHO: first anyone pulling out of the convenience store after getting gas, snack, etc, is not likely to think about being in a SZ when they pull out of the parking lot since the sign is behind them heading west and there is no indicator at the end of the SZ 4 blocks ahead unless you look in the mirror and see the flashing light facing the eastbound lane. Secondly, and far more important is that unlike any other town I'm aware of, they don't have the SZ lights set for school opening/leaving times...they leave them on continously, all day...maybe 24 hours...but I know they were on at 11:15 am on Friday and and 5:20pm on Monday. They have a City Marshal, driving his personal 3/4 ton Ford crew cab, with a Texline City Marshal decal...doesn't have regular red/blue strobe light bar...just two round yellow hazard flasher type lights mounted on the roof. He was writing a ticket on the east end of town as my wife and I drove into town and pulled into the conv. store (in two separate vehicles on our way to Colorado) and filled up with gas. Wife went inside while I filled the cars and watched him drive back and park 2 blocks up on our side of the road...when she came back out I commented to her to watch her speed as he was obviously working radar. I pulled out ahead of her and just kind of idled along at about 15 mph waiting for her until she exited the parking lot. As I was at the west edge of town...about 6 blocks...I looked in my mirror and saw the Marshal pulling my wife over right behind me, and stopped to see what was going on. Neither of us had realized we were in a school zone, and he said he had clocked her driving 29 mph (6 mph below the posted limit if not SZ)...end of story is he wrote a ticket that is $385.00 for driving 29 mph, during a time frame that the SZ should not have been in effect, while no children were present ($185.10 base amount for any speeding ticket, plus a $200.00 add on for it being in a school zone). As my wife told him, it was not intentional...she could see him sitting right in front of her when she pulled out and obviously wouldn't have purposely speeded. He said "you can take it up with the Judge...she's here on Thursdays", climbed back in his truck and had another vehicle pulled over before we had driven off. THAT'S a "speed trap"...he's probably bringing in more revenue than all the town's sales/property taxes combined....even at 4 tickets per hour, if he does that 4 hours a day, 3 days a week, thats generating $18,000 a week for the town.

talltex wrote:

Oldgringo wrote:What, exactly, is a "speed trap"?

I would describe a "speed trap" . . .

Yep, that's a speed trap. One other characteristic is that locals usually don't get nailed, just like out-of-towners are never given "just a warning".