Truck, meet Speed Trap.

[repsac]

This is a bit of an old story, that I hope I can do justice. It's a wonderful case of Kharma, and from what I remember of it, even though it does involve one heck of a wreck, there really weren't life threatening injuries involved. It did however change the policy of one little town deep in Georgia.


I forget the particular town's name, but at one time there was a place in the heart of Georgia that was KNOWN as a speed trap. Ninety percent of the town's budget came from this little trick they had hooked up, which was pulled on big rigs as they came through town. How it worked was this. The city had this four way stop in the center of town. Hanging from above it was this old traffic light that was wired to the second floor of the local bank (built in the 1900's as I recall). Up there was a switch, that when triggered would cause the light to quickly go from green, to yellow, to red. Fast enough that any truck which was coming up the road would not be able to stop, blow through the intersection, and thus garner a ticket from the police cruiser which had started following them at the city limits.

It worked perfectly for years, until one fateful day.

On this day, as a loaded tractor trailer came down the road, the cop radioed for the crew to flip the switch. The light quickly went to red, but the truck didn't run through the light. The MOMENT the light went to yellow, there was a loud screeching sound as the driver laid onto the brakes hard. Leaving rubber and smoke behind him, that driver brought the truck to a full stop.

The cop car didn't. He ATE the back end of that truck, and though the cop would spend months in the hospital, his injuries though serious weren't deadly. That wreck ended up getting the attention of the state DOT, and after doing some investigating they found the controls for the light. In the end, an edict was handed down from the Governor. This one city was henceforth banned from EVER writing a speeding ticket, or a traffic ticket of ANY kind from that day forward.

[Ree]

It's too bad you didn't include the actual name of the town, so this would have come across less as an Urban Legend tale and more as fact.

Since I was skeptical because of the lack of actual facts, I did a google and came up with a bit of detail, and I believe the town was called Ludowici.

The town gained notoriety during the 1950s and 1960's for its aggressive traffic enforcement policies. The AAA motoring organization went so far as to specifically label Ludowici as a speed trap
Speed trap

The term speed trap can refer to a point where a speed limit is strictly enforced by police. It may also refer to locations where a road-rule enforcement camera is posted....
. Allegedly, members of the local police force were engaging in manipulation of the timing of the traffic signal downtown so as to catch unsuspecting out-of-area motorists 'running' a suddenly changed red light. The switch for the stop light was located in the barber shop. This activity subsequently came to an end when then-Governor Lester Maddox
Lester Maddox

Lester Garfield Maddox was an United States Democratic Party politician who was List of Governors of Georgia of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971....
stated that the practices of the Ludowici police were giving the entire state a bad reputation.
The thing I remember about Ludowici, GA, in 1960-63, was the speed traps and trick traffic light at the U.S.301 intersection/turn downtown. The police used to sit in a store and watch someone approach the traffic light with a green aspect. Just as the driver entered the intersection, the policeman used a remote box to suddenly turn the light red.

The un-lucky motorist was then given a ticket for running a red light.

Ludowici, was marked on AAA maps as a speed trap. This was before the Interstate highway system and the traffic had to go through town. It got so bad that Governor Lester Maddox, stationed a Georgia State Patrolman at each city limit sign with his red light "bubble gum machine" (before blue lights) flashing as a warning to approaching motorist's. The speed traps were also a lucrative endeavor for the city.
The town gained notoriety during the 1950s and 1960's for its aggressive traffic enforcement policies. The AAA motoring organization went so far as to specifically label Ludowici as a speed trap. Allegedly, members of the local police force were engaging in manipulation of the timing of the traffic signal downtown so as to catch unsuspecting out-of-area motorists 'running' a suddenly changed red light. The switch for the stop light was located in the barber shop. This activity subsequently came to an end when then-Governor Lester Maddox stated that the practices of the Ludowici police were giving the entire state a bad reputation.

[protege]

Thanks, Ree. I'd seen that before, I couldn't remember the town's name.

[Javarod]

This still happens now and then, i seem to remember a town in Ohio being disincorporated for a similar bit of dishonesty, though in their case, one family ran the entire town too.

[LillFilly]

I hope the truck and driver weren't hurt! Glad he served a little ownage to the town; that's the kind of thing that gives law enforcement a bad name.

[mikoyan29]

This still happens now and then, i seem to remember a town in Ohio being disincorporated for a similar bit of dishonesty, though in their case, one family ran the entire town too.
Ohio has speed traps? I've never head of such a thing.

[mikoyan29]

I hope the truck and driver weren't hurt! Glad he served a little ownage to the town; that's the kind of thing that gives law enforcement a bad name.
Something like that is not law enforcement....it's something else.

[Broomjockey]

This is a bit of an old story, that I hope I can do justice.

Old story is right. From Ree's details, back in the '60s. Yeowzah.

[repsac]

There's a couple of towns in Florida that are also speed traps. In fact, Starkee and Lawton Florida are so bad, that the neighboring cities have HUGE billboard signs up with lettering saying "WARNING. Lawton and Starkee are speed traps. Slow down to 40 MPH when in the city."

[Kaylyn]

I always thought that by law you couldn't be ticketed if there was no way to stop safely before the light turned red, as attempting to come to a screeching halt would endanger anyone that may be behind you (as this cop found out). This is what I was taught in Driver's Ed and even in my truck-driving training; especially in the trucker class because we take MUCH more time to stop than a car and are prone to running red lights more easily than a car due to this fact. It might just be this state though (and apparently Mississippi too, according to the story that follows).

My first and only road accident as a trucker to date, I even admitted to running a red light because of the wet roads and speed limit. I didn't get in trouble, except a chewing out from my company. The speed limit was 45 and I came up on the light at the perfect time that I would have been unable to stop safely, so I was passing under it just as the light turned red. Unfortunately, the driver of the first car going across the intersection jumped the gun on the green light. I hit his rear fender at about 15 miles an hour. No injuries, but I didn't get a ticket even after admitting running the light.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

On vacation in rural Missouri 17 years ago, we went through this town called Macks Creek (or something similar) that was a speed trap.

There were big signs and billboards as you entered town: Speed limit XX mph. Strictly enforced. We made sure to slow down and avoid a ticket.

Something like that is not law enforcement....it's something else.

Yep. It's just revenue generation.

[Andara Bledin]

Unfortunately, the driver of the first car going across the intersection jumped the gun on the green light. I hit his rear fender at about 15 miles an hour. No injuries, but I didn't get a ticket even after admitting running the light.
Areound here, that is called running the green, and is is usually punished the same as running a red.

I've heard both my drivers' ed teacher and a traffic school teacher say the same thing about it. Basically, you are not allowed to enter the intersection until cross traffic has cleared, no matter how green your own light is.

^-.-^

[mikoyan29]

Reminds me of an old joke:
This guy steps into a cab, "I need to get to the airport and hurry". The cabbie nods and starts going. He runs the first light and the guy in back says, "Hey...you ran the red light...." The cabbie replies, "Yeah, my brother does it all the time...No problem". The cabbie runs another red light. The guy in back is getting a little more nervous. The cabbie says, "Don't worry....people will stop". He runs a third light, the guy wants to get out. AFter a few more times the guy gets used to it until the cabbie stops at a green light, "Why are you stopping?" "My brother could be coming from the other way"

[bunnyboy]

Something like that is not law enforcement....it's something else.

Last I checked that's called.... oh what's the word....it involves something like in followed by trap.... oh right IIRC isn't that almost a textbook case of entrapment?

[Andara Bledin]

Nah, entrapment is openly inviting someone to break a law so that you can arrest them for it. That's why a vice sting on prostitution will ask the hooker what she's offering rather than asking how much it costs for a specific act.

^-.-^

[Pagan]

Basically, you are not allowed to enter the intersection until cross traffic has cleared, no matter how green your own light is.

I was beginning to think I was the only person that remembered that tidbit from driver's ed.

Around here, people seem to think that you have to nudge out....and practically block the first lane going the other way. I've had people honk at me because I won't enter the intersection until I'm sure I can clear it!

[drunkenwildmage]

This still happens now and then, i seem to remember a town in Ohio being disincorporated for a similar bit of dishonesty, though in their case, one family ran the entire town too.

That town was "New Rome", a suburb of Columbus I believe.


http://www.newromesucks.com/

[mikoyan29]

That town was "New Rome", a suburb of Columbus I believe.

Columbus...that explains alot.....:)

[EricKei]

Areound here, that is called running the green, and is is usually punished the same as running a red.

^-.-^I'm not sure if they punish that here, but locals are notorious for that crap. Actually, to be more specific, what they do is *worse* -- they pull out BEFORE their light switches to green, thus, running the red.

A few years ago, many intersections got changed to some new sort of light (I call them "reflector lights", no idea what the proper term is); this was done because the "light" from the new type can only be seen if you're looking at it directly. There are two problems with it, however:

- Due to what I can only hope is a miscalculation regarding the angles, it's really hard to see if you're the FIRST CAR IN LINE while waiting for the light. In humongous intersections at major roads, this is not a problem -- everyone is far enough away to see it just fine if they're at the white line. On smaller roads, the white line is often quite close to the light fixture. These things are really hard to see at acute angles. And during the day...Note that one of the other "reasons" for getting these things was supposed to be that they're easier to see at night....When fewer people are on the roads...>_> I still don't comprehend how these could be easier to see at night than the big bright ones with long-life bulbs that we used to have...

- The people who used to look for the "edge" of the lights before moving now jump out based on their own estimation of then their light "should be" turning to green.

Arguably, these damn things have made things WORSE

[infinitemonkies]

I always thought that by law you couldn't be ticketed if there was no way to stop safely before the light turned red, as attempting to come to a screeching halt would endanger anyone that may be behind you

That may be true, but if you can't safely stop in time, no matter what the circumstances are, you were going faster than you should have been. Similarly, if at any time, coming to a screeching halt endangers the person behind you, it means they were going too fast AND following too close.

[LionMan]

Yes, the town in Ohio is New Rome. It was shut down not because of all the tickets they issued (roughly $400k/yr), but because a lot of people were siphoning that money for personal use and nobody could show where it went. The town coucil was all appointed and they never had elections.

The Missouri town was reponsible for a law in Missouri limiting revenues from tickets. In the early 90s they sold their last police cruiser and police force disbanded (was only two people at the time anyways).

[Chromatix]

A few years ago, many intersections got changed to some new sort of light...

- Due to what I can only hope is a miscalculation regarding the angles, it's really hard to see if you're the FIRST CAR IN LINE while waiting for the light.

The correct term escapes me too, but it sounds like they adapted a railway signal design - badly. Railway signals need to be seen from a great distance in all weathers from (usually) a very specific angle, and there are engineers who specialise in setting them up just right.

The difference is that railway signals usually have a segment in their lens which points towards the driver's cab position alongside the signal. This ensures that the aspect remains readable after the train has come to a stand at it. It sounds as though this segment was omitted from the road design.

http://en.wikivisual.com/images/1/17/Two-aspect-signal.jpg

The above picture shows a British railway signal from the "wrong" side, but if you look closely the segment can be seen in the lower-right quadrant.

The new LED signals I've seen on this side of the pond have a frosted covering replacing the "lens", which diffuses the light so that it can bee seen from the side. The purpose is the same as the segmented lens.

[d962831]

We get a ton of that, people jumping the gun on green lights and inching waaaaaay out into the intersection because they think the light is gonna turn green. I never do it and usually give the people who do a "what the hell are you doing?" look.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure that manually controling a traffic light for the purpose of forcing people to run red lights is, itself a crime.

[EricKei]

Chromatix -- not exactly what I meant, but thanks ^_^

THe ones I dislike are *harder* to see unless you're at a specific distance from them and at a particular angle. They appear to be flat sheets of plastic with some sort of illumination source that's not as bright as the normal ones. I googled "LED traffic light", but that's not quite what I was thinking of. They must be something similar, tho. From, what I gather, these new ones are intended to be visible from FEWER angles than standard lights are.

[Javarod]

Yes, the town in Ohio is New Rome. It was shut down not because of all the tickets they issued (roughly $400k/yr), but because a lot of people were siphoning that money for personal use and nobody could show where it went. The town coucil was all appointed and they never had elections.

Thank you both for that, that does sound like the town. IIRC, the tickets were the tip of the iceberg, the state started hearing complaints about the ticketing, then noticed that there was an awful lot of tickets being written there, which in turn led them to notice a lot of other things were off.

Another amusing one is in north Jersey, i remember reading about a small town that was in danger of being unincorporated because there weren't enough residents. Apparently they'd seen such a growth in warehouse and industrial companies that the residential area had shrunk to the point that if one person moved out, they'd longer have an adequate population under state law.

[Javarod]

A few years ago, many intersections got changed to some new sort of light (I call them "reflector lights", no idea what the proper term is); this was done because the "light" from the new type can only be seen if you're looking at it directly.

Could be worse, imagine if they installed this

http://www.goodexperience.com/broken/images/2007/04/06/traffic_lights.jpg
:confused: :eek:

As to the light type, it sounds like one i remember seeing in Jersey some ten years or so ago. They were rather uncommon, but i do remember they were hard to see at certain angles, and certainly looked different than regular traffic lights, not the least because they typically had square sun shades rather than the typical round ones. Rather than the usual round textured lamp that curved out a bit (kinda like an old headlight bulb), these were perfectly flat and looked like they had a plastic lense. I can only assume it was some manner of experiment, but it never went very far.

Hmmm, i think i found what i was talking about here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_light, about half way down the page there's this little piece:
Programmable Visibility Signals
Signals such as the 3M High Visibility Signal and McCain Programmable Visibility signal, utilize light diffusing optics and a powerful fresnel lens to create the signal indication. Lit via a powerful 150W PAR46 sealed-beam lamp, the light from the lamp in these "programmable visibility" signals passes through a set of two glass lenses at the back of the signal. The first lens, a frosted glass diffusing lens, diffuses the light into a uniform ball of light around five inches in diameter. The light then passes through a nearly identical lens known as an optical limiter (3M's definition of the lens itself), also known as a "programming lens", also five inches in diameter.
Using a special aluminium foil-based adhesive tape, these signals are "masked" or programmed via the programming lens so that certain lanes of traffic will only view the indication. At the front of these programmable visibility signals is a 12" fresnel lens, each lens tinted to meet United States Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) chromaticity and luminance standards. The fresnel lens (3M utilized a square lens masked to create a ball indication, McCain used a circular lens itself) amplifies the light output created by the lamp, and creates a uniform display of light for the lane in which it is intended.

[Chromatix]

Aha, I see what you mean. The lights are tuned so that, in theory, it is obvious which lane the light applies to. They also seem to be mounted very high up, to the point where repeaters closer to eye level would make sense.

Which begs the question, of course: why are adjacent lanes signalled differently, if they're going in the same direction? These signals are clearly designed for long-distance visibility in highway use, not in a cramped Euro-urban setting. It makes sense for railway signals, but not the road, but an uncorrectable problem with near-field sideways visibility would make such a signal unsuitable for railway use. In any case, as a pedestrian I use the faint side-indication from the hood of a conventional light as extra information, and it's sometimes useful for driving as well.

The page on the signal model itself mentions skewed junctions, which sort-of makes sense, and "complex multi-lane control", which... doesn't. You know what the average driver is like, do you really think they can cope with anything more complex than left/straight/right signals?

Further up the Wikipedia page you can see an earlier, much cruder way of implementing the same thing - it's the square box on the large "directional green" position of one of the more complex British signals. The box is actually fitted with vanes inside so that it can only be seen from the right side of the signal, which is presumably a low-speed filter lane. I've only ever seen it on complex urban junctions.

[EricKei]

Javarod -- I think that's it! ^_^ Thanks!

They're just not very bright at all. Leave it to my town to cheap out on traffic signals >_>

[BookstoreEscapee]

A few years ago, many intersections got changed to some new sort of light (I call them "reflector lights", no idea what the proper term is); this was done because the "light" from the new type can only be seen if you're looking at it directly.


As to the light type, it sounds like one i remember seeing in Jersey some ten years or so ago. They were rather uncommon, but i do remember they were hard to see at certain angles, and certainly looked different than regular traffic lights, not the least because they typically had square sun shades rather than the typical round ones. Rather than the usual round textured lamp that curved out a bit (kinda like an old headlight bulb), these were perfectly flat and looked like they had a plastic lense. I can only assume it was some manner of experiment, but it never went very far.

There's one of those lights at an intersection near me (I'm in Central Jersey); there are others around but this particular one is the one that bugs me the most. When you are coming up to it, heading south, there is another light a few hundred feet (if that) before it. The first light is a regular light, and it is a T intersection with the side street to the right. The second light is at another T intersection with the side street to the left. In between, the road curves a bit to the right. The second light has a left turn lane and a green arrow signal, but the main light for the right lane is pretty much invisible until you are practically right under it. I don't know if it's at the wrong angle for the curve of the road, or what, but if you were coming up to it and it turned yellow, you wouldn't see it until it was too late. The only thing that keeps that from being a problem is that the two lights are timed together (they must be or they'd end up with cars backed up through the first light); they're too close together not to be. I suppose it's timed so that it's not possible to get caught accidentally running the red (if you did it would mean you also must have run the first light). But still, I hate that you can't see the light until it would be too late.

[Javarod]

Javarod -- I think that's it! ^_^ Thanks!

They're just not very bright at all. Leave it to my town to cheap out on traffic signals >_>

You're quite welcome. Actually ifn aimed properly they're quite bright, but they have to be aimed properly. They stuck in my head, because it was weird to come up on a traffic light that was brighter than normal only if you looked at it right, otherwise it always seemed somewhat washed out, almost as if you were looking at a reflection of the light.