In theory, cops should be patrolling roads to make the world a safer place. Isn't their duty to protect and to serve or something? Shouldn't cops be targeting dangerous drivers and people who cause accidents? Even better, shouldn't they actually be helping people? Or arresting criminals? Apparently, small town cops don't seem to understand these principles.I've been pulled over twice in my life, which has led to two tickets both graciously written out for me by Heber cops. They are the bane of my existence.
Two years ago, I was commuting to Park City to meet with my boss--during that commute, I got pulled over for the first time ever coming out of Heber in a speed trap. The entire canyon was 65, except for the 2 mile stretch coming out of Heber. Tricky. I got clocked going 69. Once I started driving with my $100+ ticket in tow, it was less than 100 feet from where I was stopped to the sign that increased the speed out of the speed trap from 55 to 65. So lame.
Fast forward to a couple days ago. A great deal of construction has recently been completed in the canyon that allows me to travel from Provo to Park City. The old two lane highway has turned into a wide, four lane highway with cement poured along the mountain to prevent rockslides and a concrete median in many places. Theoretically, this construction has made the canyon road a much safer place to drive, correct? Unfortunately, as construction was completed, the Grand Powers That Be decided to DECREASE the speed limit in the canyon to fifty. Fifty miles per hour on a not-too-frequently traveled, four lane wide highway road. Ridiculous.
Two days ago I was apparently clocked at 67 mph coming down a large hill in the canyon on my way back to Provo with no other cars in sight. The highest my speedometer read during that descent was 62 mph. Strange. Additionally, may I please make the argument that 62 mph with no other cars around me on a wide, four lane highway is totally reasonable? And, are you kidding me with the 50 mph speed limit?
In any case, I discussed the situation with a couple of my coworkers the next morning. They laughed, told me not to try to go to traffic school, and to just consider the ticket to be a tax/toll/revenue and a necessary part of using the canyon road. For the record, I object. Additionally, I think that Heber cops are total weasels, since their only task is to park in dark and wide-open areas, lobby to lower the speed limit in the canyon, and pull unsuspecting commuters over.
The Transformers bad cop car is pictured above--enlarged, the back of it says "to punish and enslave..." I couldn't have said it better myself.
4 comments:
Lame-o. My only ticket ever was in the huge metropolis of Willard, Utah. However, as an economist of some renown, you should know that cities like Heber have a much higher incentive to pull you over. It's better to save your speeding for cities whose cops have more important things to do. Like, say, fighting crime.
Couldn't agree with you more. Small town cops make me furious for reasons I do not wish to detail at this time.
It's totally lame! I was at a forum at BYU with the Provo city cops and a kid asked why they didn't have anything better to do than to give people tickets. The cop said that because of the type of place Provo is, there is literally nothing better for cops to do than patrol traffic. It has something to do with the crime/cop ratio...
Ahh, the Provo to Park City commute. I make it every day. There are a lot of cops on that stretch and you're right that they do take their speed limits seriously. Seeing as we're lawyers, don't you think we should be able to effectively organize to change those unreasonably low limits? I will sign a petition if you draft it.
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