Radar detectors

[worth]

Originally Posted by fulham

Got Pulled over on Crowchild for traveling at 109 in a 90km/h zone......

Was literally driving with the flow of traffic.. Such BS

With the budget cuts looming expect cops to become tax collectors with a gun

You were doing 19km/h over the posted speed limit.

[CliffFletcher]

Why not go whole hog and develop some kind of police detectors? Then people could do all kinds of illegal things without worrying about getting caught.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

It used to be when I lived in Calgary that 90% of CPS vehicles had licence plates that started with the same first three letters (numbers?).

Yeah for a while almost all the plates they had started with CRL

Anyone have info about whether the photo vehicles are allowed to have their hazards lights on or not? I thought they werent for some reason but saw one on DF with them on...first when I went by on the other side and still there an hour later when I came back.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by worth

You were doing 19km/h over the posted speed limit.

The difference between 90 and 110 really is nothing as you are travelling IMO.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by worth

You were doing 19km/h over the posted speed limit.

If the flow of traffic is moving at 109 KM/H and you decide to be the guy to do 90 KM/H, you are no longer traffic so much as you're an obstacle that people have to go around. It isn't everyone else exceeding the speed limit that is making the roadway unsafe - it's now you for going so much slower than everyone else and creating that differential.

[worth]

ya ya, blah blah blah. The guy is complaining about getting a ticket for going 19kph over.

I understand, I have a lead foot as well. I understand flow of traffic, slower traffic keeping right etc. etc. That being said, I think either the speeds in this city need to be raised, or strictly enforced to the speed limit.

I was on stony trail this morning and the flow of traffic was 130kph. That's 30kph over the posted speed limit. Something is wrong here. Either the limits are way too low, or there's no enforcement allowing people to go 30kph over.

I spent the last year overseas and have seen some crazy crazy driving. But the speeds that Calgarians travel at are the fastest I've ever seen. Maybe it's a speed guideline and not a speed limit.

Anyway, regardless of flow of traffic, I don't see how anyone can complain about getting a ticket for going 19kph over.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Igster

Driving the speed limit is for strugglers and old people.

Strongly disagree. A struggler is doing 30 below the limit. Because someone obeys a law, doesn't make them a struggler. Someone buys new cars they can't afford is a struggler.

I choose to drive the speed limit, and I'm 36. I stay in the right lane except to pass. I also stop at stop signs, and understand what to do at red lights, amber lights, and yield and merge signs. It's better on gas, and I don't have to worry about getting tickets. If I'm in that much of a hurry, I leave five minutes earlier. I don't care if people speed on the highways, but I also don't care to hear them whine when they get caught. If you choose to speed you need to be prepared to accept a ticket if you get caught. It's that simple. You can justify it anyway you want, but if you knowingly break a law, whether you agree with it or not, then there is a penalty. Both the law, and the fine, are written in black and white. So often you'll see someone speeding and weaving in and out of traffic, yet you'll meet up with them at the next light. Way to go hero!

Originally Posted by Igster

The difference between 90 and 110 really is nothing as you are travelling IMO.

So where is the line of what's acceptable or not? 20 over in a 90 zone is fine, but what about 20 over in a school zone? Is 30 over in a 90 okay? 40? 50? Is there a percentage you want to go off of? Why is 20 over acceptable but 30 over is speeding? Why should everyone go off what you think is acceptable, when there are very few people (relatively speaking) that know who you are?

[CliffFletcher]

Physics is a real thing. The faster you go, the less reaction time you have to unexpected incidents on the road, and the longer your stopping distance.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by worth

I spent the last year overseas and have seen some crazy crazy driving. But the speeds that Calgarians travel at are the fastest I've ever seen. Maybe it's a speed guideline and not a speed limit.

Most of the roads in the developing world are very congested or chaotic. That's why people can't travel fast in those condition.

[worth]

I know, but I spent time in Australia and they do not speed there. I drove 2,600km from Cairns to Sydney, and the fastest moving car I saw was going 115km/h.

[skudr248]

Want to see some crazy driving, just go down to the South of France and into Italy. Avg speed I did was 200 in a small 4 door Peugot through curvy mountain roads, this was because if you drove any slower than that somebody will slam into the back of your car as they literally drift around you. I had cop cars flying past me at I'd say ~240km/h (no lights activated). Spent 6 months living in Nice and even there Calgary has NOTHING on drivers in those cities, better make sure to look and sprint across the road or else you will be flying like a bird down the road from a car smoking you.

And worth, Stoney Trail can easily be 130km/h ... example the US I 15 is 80 Miles/hour (130) speed limit and is a 2 lane highway I just drove almost 6000 km's on and Stoney Trail is a way better highway that can easily support this.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

...

So where is the line of what's acceptable or not? 20 over in a 90 zone is fine, but what about 20 over in a school zone? Is 30 over in a 90 okay? 40? 50? Is there a percentage you want to go off of? Why is 20 over acceptable but 30 over is speeding? Why should everyone go off what you think is acceptable, when there are very few people (relatively speaking) that know who you are?

It should absolutely be expressed in percentage terms. All roads are designed with a certain speed safety factor built in (curves and slopes). This factor varies depending on the roadway but, in general, it is at least 20%-25%. So, yes, if the road conditions are favourable on a stretch of a 90 km/hr roadway, it is perfectly safe to drive 110-115 on it from a technical standpoint. Don't get me started about the 90 km/hr zone of divided 4-lane Hwy-1 between Banff and Lake Louise fenced on both side.

If a "line in the sand" is needed, I would base fines on an advertised percentage of excess over posted speed limit (i.e. 10%, 15% or 20%) and then implement a no tolerance policy after that. I've never heard of anyone stopped for going 1 km/hr over limit, but there is a fine in law for that exact offense. Stupid? Yes. Each and every driver has committed this offense of going 1 km/hr over the speed limit at one point or another, many times, no doubts. When most normal people inadvertently break the law this way, the law becomes obsolete and must be changed, because it is a simple cash cow and it loses respect.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

If you choose to speed you need to be prepared to accept a ticket if you get caught. It's that simple.

You are correct. I choose to speed when I feel it is warranted to get around strugglers and if road conditions allow. This would be why I have a "radar detector". It's that simple.

[united]

I haven't got a speeding ticket - photo or pullover - in 8 years but there isn't a day I have driven where I have not been speeding. Typically I default to either 10 km/h or 15% over the posted limit, whichever is greater. I've been lucky, no doubt, so perhaps it's time to reconsider getting a jammer, especially as firefly pointed out with fines increasing 35%. That said I won't complain when I do get a ticket as I knowingly break the law, even though it's a law with grossly low limits and one which is obviously used more for funding than safety.

While I obviously think speed limits are outdated and too low over the map, they also seem tough to set. Really they have to set them to the worst scenario...I mean is an experienced driver in a new Ferrari doing 20 km/h over the limit equally as dangerous as a new driver in a rusted and poorly-maintained 1980s beater? Clearly not...but they have the same limit applied.

I really enjoyed driving in Palm Springs and the areas south. The highway is 120 km/h (75 mph) which is what most highways here should be, and many of the roads in the city had two lanes each way with divider and were set at 72 km/h (45 mph) instead of the 50 or 60 we get here.

A couple times a year CPS will release a gloating story about how many tickets they gave at certain location and 16th avenue/10th street NW always seems to be at or near the top. It's 3 lanes each way, divided, and equipped with advance turn lights yet the limit is 50 km/h. No kidding people are speeding there!

[Forbsey-123]

Sooo....thought this was a thread about radar detectors not general morality. Anyways check out www.kmph.ca .....looks to be a Canadian company selling all the best brands/packages.

[Vulcan]

A couple times a year CPS will release a gloating story about how many tickets they gave at certain location and 16th avenue/14th street NW always seems to be at or near the top. It's 3 lanes each way, divided, and equipped with advance turn lights yet the limit is 50 km/h. No kidding people are speeding there!

d

Lets face it the cops have their favourite fishing holes and that's why if you're a reasonable driver, tickets are just another tax.

[Vulcan]

repeat

[Forbsey-123]

Anyone tried the license plate spray?

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

d

Lets face it the cops have their favourite fishing holes and that's why if you're a reasonable driver, tickets are just another tax.

Amen. Most speed limits were set when cars were powered by 100hp engines.
Now an average cars could easily have 200hp engine or up.

This is a good video on why the Vancouver Marine drive speed limit is set at an artificially low 50km.

"Speed kills your pocketbook"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BKdbxX1pDw

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Amen. Most speed limits were set when cars were powered by 100hp engines.
Now an average cars could easily have 200hp engine or up.

This is a good video on why the Vancouver Marine drive speed limit is set at an artificially low 50km.

"Speed kills your pocketbook"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BKdbxX1pDw

It isn't even the horsepower going up, the old cars had terrible handling and brakes and drove on bias tires. Driving a modern car and thinking back to one of my first cars (a 59 Chev), I can't believe the difference. In those days the speed limit was 70MPH on most BC highways and now it's 55 or 60 MPH (90 or 100 K).