One in three Calgarians ticketed for speeding last year

[Slava]

I know this is a little off the main topic, but we're basically just talking about speeding here and I've been wanting an opinion. How fast should you be going in the left hand lane on Deerfoot? I routinely drive around 110-115 and figure that should be fine. Never fails though, I'm cruising along and someone pulls up behind me going 125 and acts like I should move...I am always torn. I'm already speeding, so why should I move?

Anyway, curious to see what CP thinks.

[Bigtime]

I'm really glad that the majority of our city council decided to let the cops keep their entire budget...

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Slava

I know this is a little off the main topic, but we're basically just talking about speeding here and I've been wanting an opinion. How fast should you be going in the left hand lane on Deerfoot? I routinely drive around 110-115 and figure that should be fine. Never fails though, I'm cruising along and someone pulls up behind me going 125 and acts like I should move...I am always torn. I'm already speeding, so why should I move?

Anyway, curious to see what CP thinks.

Assuming good conditions, if no one is in front of you, someone is behind you, move out of the way. But then again, I think I speed to much, so what do I know.

One thing I will not do- ride someone's tail.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Slava

I know this is a little off the main topic, but we're basically just talking about speeding here and I've been wanting an opinion. How fast should you be going in the left hand lane on Deerfoot? I routinely drive around 110-115 and figure that should be fine. Never fails though, I'm cruising along and someone pulls up behind me going 125 and acts like I should move...I am always torn. I'm already speeding, so why should I move?

Anyway, curious to see what CP thinks.

Keep right except to pass. Even if you're way over the speed limit you should always move over regardless.

[FlamesAddiction]

I have driven in pretty much every major Canadian city from Ottawa to Vancouver and Calgary does stand out as one that has a lot of very speedy drivers. The police are probably more aggressive because they have to be. Like others have mentioned, part of it is roads, but I think part of it is attitude.

I think there is just so much work there that people are constantly busy and trying to save time everywhere they can. You also have a wealthier demographic that fines won't work on as much for being a deterent.

[Northendzone]

count me as one of the ~67%'rs who did not get a ticket........I usuasally try to stick witht he speed limit, but sometimes I'll go as fast as about 120 on Deerfoot.

Personally I think that the speed limits are fine here in Calgary, and that the po-po should be ticketing those who are more than about 10 kph over.......If you don't want to pay the fine, then don't speed.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Slava

I know this is a little off the main topic, but we're basically just talking about speeding here and I've been wanting an opinion. How fast should you be going in the left hand lane on Deerfoot? I routinely drive around 110-115 and figure that should be fine. Never fails though, I'm cruising along and someone pulls up behind me going 125 and acts like I should move...I am always torn. I'm already speeding, so why should I move?

Anyway, curious to see what CP thinks.

I say move over, provided you can do it safely. I drive the Calgary to Edmonton route quite regularly and go about 135 the whole way. I spend most of the time in the left lane as the flow of traffic is slower than that but when I see someone coming up behind me I get out of the way.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Slava

I know this is a little off the main topic, but we're basically just talking about speeding here and I've been wanting an opinion. How fast should you be going in the left hand lane on Deerfoot? I routinely drive around 110-115 and figure that should be fine. Never fails though, I'm cruising along and someone pulls up behind me going 125 and acts like I should move...I am always torn. I'm already speeding, so why should I move?

Anyway, curious to see what CP thinks.

To me this is the big problem with identifying the left lane as "the fast lane" and not "the passing lane". Calling it the fast lane doesn't make much sense to me as "fast" is totally subjective, plus it brings out the types that drive the speed limit in the left lane just to make a point. I've always felt "keep right except to pass" makes the most sense, but it doesn't work very well when everybody has a different idea for the meaning of the lanes.

My dad makes my head hurt. If I'm doing 110 in the left lane going around people and somebody is approaching me from behind, I'll move over as soon as I can. He always comments that I "gave up my lane" and I was free and clear whereas now I'm behind people. It doesn't make any damn sense because from point A to B I'm always going the exact same speed.

[Ozy_Flame]

Bow Trail now often has two radars - one sitting under the new pedestrian bridge to the west of Crowchild, and then further down the hill next to Staples. Apparently it's still a "Construction Zone" and hence the 50 km/hr limit which is FAR too low for major three lane highway into the core.

[Hevishot]

Originally Posted by starseed

The standard speed in the left lane on the 401 is 130 while the speed limit is 100. The locals do not even slow down when a cop goes whizzing by.

They also pass road rangers in the left shoulder with cops hiding under passes and the cop does not do anything.

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

I didn't get a ticket last year. Personal best!

jinx!

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by freedogger

There's an app for those cameras. Check out Trapster. It will warn you when you get close to any of those intersections. I used it until I had all of the locations figured out on my typical routes.

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

or just don't speed through intersections. i always slow down before an intersection that i don't know, and i memorized which ones have cameras on my daily commute. as long as you slow down before passing the camera post itself, you're fine

Originally Posted by Yanda

I think your right. Once I learned which intersections had them I avoided it and ive been fine ever since.

whats this all about? a ticket for going througha green light?

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by Slava

I know this is a little off the main topic, but we're basically just talking about speeding here and I've been wanting an opinion. How fast should you be going in the left hand lane on Deerfoot? I routinely drive around 110-115 and figure that should be fine. Never fails though, I'm cruising along and someone pulls up behind me going 125 and acts like I should move...I am always torn. I'm already speeding, so why should I move?

Anyway, curious to see what CP thinks.

you should be going the speed limit in the left lane on Deerfoot.

if someone a-hole is speeding behind you, i suggest getting out of his way as he is a safety hazard to you and your family and is better off well in front of you.

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by T@T

I got yanked on Stoney Trail at 2:30 in the morning, had my cruise set on 113,the cop came beside me from the 94 ave off ramp,tucked in behind me and threw the lights on.
He brings me back a ticket for 17 over ($110.00). I said,see you in court pal and I'm sure the court and your superiors will love to hear you were going about 50k over the speed limit on a ramp just to "get" me on a deserted f''king highway.

Same place they got me. The 94th ave off ramp, the cop claimed I was going 127 as I came off the CHB off ramp but I only passed him at 121 and had to sit there and argue with him about it. This was like 10 am on a random tuesday as I was going out to the parents to use there fax machine. To say the least I take alot more advantage of the fax machine at Staples after this incident.

[Yanda]

Originally Posted by DementedReality

whats this all about? a ticket for going througha green light?

Ya there Photo Radar tickets for speeding through green lights that have Red light Cameras. They amount to $110-$150 each I do believe.

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Bow Trail now often has two radars - one sitting under the new pedestrian bridge to the west of Crowchild, and then further down the hill next to Staples. Apparently it's still a "Construction Zone" and hence the 50 km/hr limit which is FAR too low for major three lane highway into the core.

They also sit at the Greyhound station getting people coming over the hill eastbound in the evening.
I do 50 as soon as I get off Crow going east on Bow and have passed the speedtrap at least a dozen times. More than half of those, they've nailed the people to the left and or right of me that whizzed past aggressively. (Lots of times they have 4-5 officers there just pegging groups off - I was the only one of 6 cars not grabbed in a pack about two weeks ago on a Wednesday night.)

[Tron_fdc]

I haven't been pulled over for 3 years now. Which is awesome, because I was getting tickets like mad a few years back.

I have, however, been issued a few multinovas, and 2 speed on green. The multinova I can come to terms with. The speed on green was pretty absurd though. I was going snowboarding on a Sunday morning, driving down Macleod Tr at 5AM with no one on the roads. I got nailed on 14St and Heritage, then AGAIN at Mcleod and 162nd.

It wasn't a huge fine, but seriously. How is that making the roads safer? Like Cowperson said, if you're going to turn this into a safety debate you better be able to back up the massive increase in tickets with a massive increase in road safety stats.

That or call it what is is: A cash cow.

[bosox_fan05]

Originally Posted by DementedReality

you should be going the speed limit in the left lane on Deerfoot.

if someone a-hole is speeding behind you, i suggest getting out of his way as he is a safety hazard to you and your family and is better off well in front of you.

You are what's wrong with traffic. There are certain rules of the road that go beyond the posted signs.

At least you have the decency to get out of the way for your own selfish reasons.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Since 2010 ive gotten...

- Speeding 127km/h on Stony southbound CHB
- Green Light 14th and Northmount
- Green Light Beddington/CHB
- Green Light 64th by the Taco Time
- Green Light COP/16th
- Photo Radar Chestermere x2 by the Community Center

Havent gotten anything in 4 months... its really those green light cameras that get me.

My dad is like you and it seriously blows my mind. How can you not notice this!?


and this:



I'm fine with taxes that get people who drive more or use up more police resources or however you want to spin it, but I don't think buying a bunch of photo equipment, installing induction loops for the cameras at every intersection, buying minivans and hiring people to sit in them, and paying for review boards and court time to settle tickets is the most efficient way of taxation at all. I'd be curious to see what % of tickets go straight to the cost of issuing/collecting said ticket.

[flamesflames444]

What I don't understand is people that complain about getting photo radar tickets, but don't buy a decent radar detector. Count ourselves lucky that they are in fact legal here as opposed to out east. The payback on a radar detector is very short if you have a lead foot. I have had the same Valentine One for 5 yrs and have only been nailed once by a tricky cop in backwoods Sask that was turning his radar on at the last minute as he was approaching me in the opposite direction and I didn't have time to react.

There's absolutely zero risk of getting nailed with photo radar as it picks it up long before you even have to brake. The only caveat is the green light cameras, but the newer models are able to ID these as far as I know.