Stolen tools thread got me thinking...

[Backyard Imports]

After I added my post about the cops not doing anything it made me think about another problem that we have that the police do nothing about... speeders.

We live just outside Tacoma, WA in an area that is "grandfathered" in as farmland. Our parcel, and most of the parcels within 1/2 mile of us, used to be part of a Faith Dairy. Most of the lots down our street are 2.5-10 acres with only a few smaller lots mixed in. Our street is a 2 lane road with a posted speed limit of 35mph.

The speeders are ridiculous! And I don't mean 5-10 over. It is very common to have people driving at 50-60 and many times a day faster than that. I see people going 45 and getting passed. I spoke to the county about what it would take to get those speed humps installed if we paid for them and was told, flat out, that it would never happen because they don't allow them on county roads. I spoke to the sheriff and asked them if it would be possible to get a speed trap out here a couple times a month and he said "not likely". I just had someone blow by at an easy 70 and I am very frustrated. I feel like throwing rocks into the road in front of people going really fast but I know that won't solve anything except to make me happy inside.

We have had several neighbors have dogs and cats get killed and one guy lost a donkey that got out. There has also been several very bad crashes at the intersections and a teenager was killed 2 years ago. (Speed was a large factor but he was also wearing full black at night and ran across the road for some reason.) All of this and still nothing from the police.

So, do any of you live on streets that have this problem and what have you done to try to solve the issue?

 

[WWheeler]

Personally I hate speed traps/cops giving speeding tickets and domestic and/or farm animals that are allowed to get in the road a hell of a lot more than I do speeders. I honestly think police should have a lot more important things to do, like catching thieves and violent criminals, than harass people with a lead foot. If/when their speeding causes an accident (and by that I don't include hitting the at-fault dog/cat/donkey - for that they should fine the hell out of the owner) then by all means throw the book at them.

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

Why is the speed limit so low?

 

[Backyard Imports]

Personally I hate speed traps/cops giving speeding tickets and domestic and/or farm animals that are allowed to get in the road a hell of a lot more than I do speeders. I honestly think police should have a lot more important things to do, like catching thieves and violent criminals, than harass people with a lead foot. If/when their speeding causes an accident (and by that I don't include hitting the at-fault dog/cat/donkey - for that they should fine the hell out of the owner) then by all means throw the book at them.

I am not quite sure if you are just trolling or what? Speeding like these people speed is a crime. I am all about a lead foot, which is why I race... at the racetrack. And this kind of reckless driving, in what is considered a residential area, causes many more problems than what I am listing. I could probably go down the road and take pictures of house, fences, and decks that haven't been repaired from crashes that have taken place in the last month.

And I take it that you have never had animals? It is almost impossible to keep livestock from getting out if that is what the animal decides it wants to do. They will run straight through fences if they get spooked or just really want to get out.

And while it has only been animals (and the one kid) to this point, what would you think about the situation if it was a kid? I have 3 little girls running around here. And while I like to think that with all of the property to cruise around on they won't go out into the street, sometimes kids do kids things. I guess you would just blame me instead of the guy driving like he is on the highway?

Why is the speed limit so low?

It is a residential area. It is not rural.

 

[Whitworth]

I feel sad about the donkey.

 

[Jeepster04]

Ive almost given up even reading what people post on the internet.. The opinions that people have are so off the wall its ridiculous. Im pretty good at not even reading the post once I see what theyre saying.

And I agree with your post, idk a solution to your issue.. People will unfortunately always be people.. And it seems to be getting worse.... Another topic that is sortve along these lines is tailgaters... I almost always do 5 over the speed limit, why do people feel the need to get RIGHT on my bumper... Typically I slow down to at least the speed limit when people tail gate...

 

[DakotaMan]

Is your sheriff locally elected? Ours is so that's how the residents get to pick what neighborhoods are policed and which ones are not. People pool up their money and donate it to his campaign.

 

[Thumper68]

Personally I hate speed traps/cops giving speeding tickets and domestic and/or farm animals that are allowed to get in the road a hell of a lot more than I do speeders. I honestly think police should have a lot more important things to do, like catching thieves and violent criminals, than harass people with a lead foot. If/when their speeding causes an accident (and by that I don't include hitting the at-fault dog/cat/donkey - for that they should fine the hell out of the owner) then by all means throw the book at them.

Hmm so If I am speeding and hit you and you were also speeding who is at fault?

There are speed limits for a reason, you want to go fast go to a track day.

We lived on a street that was the main entrance to a community, across the street from us was an elementary school, people treated it like a race track and the stop sign was evidently just a warning. So I set up a camera and sign warning that the video was being streamed after a few weeks of video was available I took it and a petition to the City council and school board then we got action a speed bump and better police coverage.

 

[WWheeler]

I am not quite sure if you are just trolling or what? Speeding like these people speed is a crime. I am all about a lead foot, which is why I race... at the racetrack. And this kind of reckless driving, in what is considered a residential area, causes many more problems than what I am listing. I could probably go down the road and take pictures of house, fences, and decks that haven't been repaired from crashes that have taken place in the last month.

And I take it that you have never had animals? It is almost impossible to keep livestock from getting out if that is what the animal decides it wants to do. They will run straight through fences if they get spooked or just really want to get out.

And while it has only been animals (and the one kid) to this point, what would you think about the situation if it was a kid? I have 3 little girls running around here. And while I like to think that with all of the property to cruise around on they won't go out into the street, sometimes kids do kids things. I guess you would just blame me instead of the guy driving like he is on the highway?

It is a residential area. It is not rural.

Umm, I live on the outskirts of a very small town in a largely rural area. Everyone here has animals. I've have always had several dogs and in the past kept cattle, goats, and even chickens. Everyone out here drives like a bat out of hell. i keep my kids and my animals out of the street. I really don't care that people drive over 70mph down our gravel road all day every day, until one of them takes out my mailbox again and then I'm their worst enemy and they better hope the police gets to them instead of me.

 

[Dagny]

B B gun

 

[Jeepster04]

^Good way to get locked up...

Ive always wanted to install a pipe on my vehicles big enough to drop a #2 rock through when someone tailgates me... Keep a small bucket in the back seat, drop the rock out, and it comes out under the back of my vehicle... Again... I would end up locked up...

 

[Backyard Imports]

Umm, I live on the outskirts of a very small town in a largely rural area. Everyone here has animals. I've have always had several dogs and in the past kept cattle, goats, and even chickens. Everyone out here drives like a bat out of hell. i keep my kids and my animals out of the street. I really don't care that people drive over 70mph down our gravel road all day every day, until one of them takes out my mailbox again and then I'm their worst enemy and they better hope the police gets to them instead of me.

The biggest difference is that we are not in BFE with miles between houses. Our 5 acres is probably tiny compared to they size of places where you are at. The way things are around here, the houses sit 30 feet from the road and the fields tend to run behind the houses.

But based off of your first comment, you should be responsible for not placing your mailbox where they are able to hit it. And you seem to value said mailbox over animals and the kid that was killed.


But we have gotten off of the topic. I am seriously seeking advice from anybody who has been able to address this issue. I was thinking about buying a portable speed limit sign that shows actual speeds. However, I don't know if they are available to the public. I also considered buying a radar gun and setting it up with a video camera so that I could show the police exactly how crazy it is getting.

 

[bdbecker]

The neighborhood where my daughter's in-home daycare is located is really bad. Its a fairly well-to-do area and I always see people flying through there. I honestly think the people who live there think they are more important than everyone else and don't care that they are putting other people's lives at risk with their negligent behavior.

I'm at the end of my rope with one lady who lives a half-block away from the daycare. Not more than a month or two ago, I had just pulled my daughter out of the car and looked up as she came barreling around the curve. I was so sure she was going to hit my car that I took off running into the yard with my daughter to get clear of the vehicle. She couldn't have missed sideswiping my car by more than a few inches - it scared me half to death. Guess who nearly backed into me yesterday morning and then proceeded to ride my *** all the way to daycare? The next time she does something like that, I've got half a mind to just stop in the middle of the street and have a polite conversation with her about her reckless driving.

 

[Super Sport]

The police will do something if they're constantly responding to accidents in the area. I would recommend that you keep bothering them, especially when you have evidence of an issue such as specific accidents. It would be a good idea to go to any community forums you have available and voice your concern.

From what you describe, it sounds like a semi-rural stretch of road that would be 55 mph if it weren't for the number of driveways. It's no surprise to me that you have people doing 50+. You may want to consider some signs along the road designated "Children Playing" or something along those lines to remind motorists of the lower limit.

 

[Kaizen]

call your mayor/city councilor and keep calling. they will put pressure on cops to allocate some time for speeders.

 

[bmrisko]

You don't want speed bumps if you care about your property values.

Also, when's the last time you had your "visual guess" radar gun calibrated?

 

[pop pop]

DakotaMan has your solution. Sheriffs work for and are "hired" (elected) by the people and respond to the people. Police, on the other hand, and with all due respect, are hired by the governing body and report only to them. Don't ever forget this fact.

 

[Git]

DakotaMan has your solution. Sheriffs work for and are "hired" (elected) by the people and respond to the people. Police, on the other hand, and with all due respect, are hired by the governing body and report only to them. Don't ever forget this fact.

pop pop - you forgot to add your standard line that all the Police care about is 'revenue'

Police answer to the Mayor who is usually an elected official. Same difference

The speed limit shouldn't be lowered to make people living on the street happy - they should set a 'safe', realistic speed limit to begin with.

In California, for example, an engineering and traffic survey is required. Someone actually goes out and records the speed of the motorists over a day or two. They take into account special conditions - school zone, sharp curve up ahead, the number of accidents, etc. But the speed limit is usually set at the 85th percentile (85% of traffic is going at or below that speed) unless they can justify a lower number - they just don't pull one out of the air

 

[Richard Cranium]

Call the sheriff and complain, then if you get no action, call again next week and so on. He will get tired of talking to you and he will have some one come out. If that don't work call your county commissioner. Some one will listen to you.
If not then start parking your car off the side of the road and take your wife's hair dryer with you and point it at passing cars. See if they get the hint.
Our sheriff has a portable speed sign with radar gun they will bring out and set up. They also have loaner radar guns so that you can see and record the speed for a time and give them the numbers so they can give the information to their traffic division. We have 2 deputies that only works traffic enforcement and traffic problems like accidents.

 

[ptgb]

Guess I gotta be the bubble burster here as well (as with the stolen tools thread).

25 year cop here....

Everybody wants those damn speeders brought to justice when they are speeding in your neighborhood.... until your aunt, nephew, kid, cousin, brother-in-law, wife, mother, or long lost love child gets a ticket in your wanted speed trap....

Had a sub-division here that were screaming ****** murder about people blowing the stop sign near the entrance to the neighborhood. 90% of the people we stopped actually lived in that sub-division and didn't like it to be "hassled" by the cops.

Neighborhood Watch program in a predominately African American neighborhood was screaming about the drugs and other crime taking place in the neighborhood... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Well we did.... stopped cars, searches, drug arrests, etc. Once they found out that we were arresting people they knew, friends and family, suddenly we were racists who were purposely messing with the black community.


Pretty much the same, they want you to hassle people.... but not THEIR people (family, friends, etc.).

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[FrancisJ]

After I added my post about the cops not doing anything it made me think about another problem that we have that the police do nothing about... speeders.

We live just outside Tacoma, WA in an area that is "grandfathered" in as farmland. Our parcel, and most of the parcels within 1/2 mile of us, used to be part of a Faith Dairy. Most of the lots down our street are 2.5-10 acres with only a few smaller lots mixed in. Our street is a 2 lane road with a posted speed limit of 35mph.

The speeders are ridiculous! And I don't mean 5-10 over. It is very common to have people driving at 50-60 and many times a day faster than that. I see people going 45 and getting passed. I spoke to the county about what it would take to get those speed humps installed if we paid for them and was told, flat out, that it would never happen because they don't allow them on county roads. I spoke to the sheriff and asked them if it would be possible to get a speed trap out here a couple times a month and he said "not likely". I just had someone blow by at an easy 70 and I am very frustrated. I feel like throwing rocks into the road in front of people going really fast but I know that won't solve anything except to make me happy inside.

We have had several neighbors have dogs and cats get killed and one guy lost a donkey that got out. There has also been several very bad crashes at the intersections and a teenager was killed 2 years ago. (Speed was a large factor but he was also wearing full black at night and ran across the road for some reason.) All of this and still nothing from the police.

So, do any of you live on streets that have this problem and what have you done to try to solve the issue?

Generally speaking police in WA are somewhat "laid back", "tree huggers" at heart. This is especially true of the city's finest in Seattle, to a lesser degree in "blue collar" Tacoma.........likely many of those speeders are Microsoft, Boeing, etc employees trying to make up some time before they hit the big congestion on 167 Northbound (becoming more of a parking lot in the past several years), I-5, etc.

 

[Technologyteacher]

Buy a cheap radar gun, they can be found in sporting goods for baseball. Video some of your results and send to your local TV news. I bet the public shaming will get police attention. Just make sure you don't go 1mph over or they would gladly write you a ticket

 

[vettex2]

all I can think of is...

 

[Ign]

Why is this in General Garage?

 

[PelicanPines]

Speed limits are limits... not a suggested minimum. A two lane road like the op is talking about is undivided and people live there... 35 mph is totally legit. Speeding tickets should automatically be issued by YOUR cars computer.

It's ignorant to think someone has above average driving skills to exceed the speed limit by 60 to 80% and be safe to themselves or others. So if you are going 60 in a 35... nuff said.

 

[dbabicky]

Guess I gotta be the bubble burster here as well (as with the stolen tools thread).

25 year cop here....

Everybody wants those damn speeders brought to justice when they are speeding in your neighborhood.... until your aunt, nephew, kid, cousin, brother-in-law, wife, mother, or long lost love child gets a ticket in your wanted speed trap....

Had a sub-division here that were screaming ****** murder about people blowing the stop sign near the entrance to the neighborhood. 90% of the people we stopped actually lived in that sub-division and didn't like it to be "hassled" by the cops.

Neighborhood Watch program in a predominately African American neighborhood was screaming about the drugs and other crime taking place in the neighborhood... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Well we did.... stopped cars, searches, drug arrests, etc. Once they found out that we were arresting people they knew, friends and family, suddenly we were racists who were purposely messing with the black community.


Pretty much the same, they want you to hassle people.... but not THEIR people (family, friends, etc.).

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

EXACTLY !! Well Said !!!!

 

[PassnThru]

After I added my post about the cops not doing anything it made me think about another problem that we have that the police do nothing about... speeders.

We live just outside Tacoma, WA in an area that is "grandfathered" in as farmland. Our parcel, and most of the parcels within 1/2 mile of us, used to be part of a Faith Dairy. Most of the lots down our street are 2.5-10 acres with only a few smaller lots mixed in. Our street is a 2 lane road with a posted speed limit of 35mph.

I think the key here is that the OP moved to farmland outside the city and considers it a problem that the area is still "grandfathered" as farmland despite his arrival.
I see the same thing here often. Someone buys acreage in a rural part of the county and builds a house. Then wants everyone to slow down in front of their house on a road that had a 55 mph limit since it was laid. After a few more move in, several with clout with the county leaders, they throw them a bone and slam the speed limit down to 35 ignoring the less influential citizens that have lived further out that road for generations.
Generally, it's a good idea for those people to live within the city limits where those expectations are normal.

 

[PugetDude]

Why is this in General Garage?

So you can read it?

 

[Backyard Imports]

I think the key here is that the OP moved to farmland outside the city and considers it a problem that the area is still "grandfathered" as farmland despite his arrival.
I see the same thing here often. Someone buys acreage in a rural part of the county and builds a house. Then wants everyone to slow down in front of their house on a road that had a 55 mph limit since it was laid. After a few more move in, several with clout with the county leaders, they throw them a bone and slam the speed limit down to 35 ignoring the less influential citizens that have lived further out that road for generations.
Generally, it's a good idea for those people to live within the city limits where those expectations are normal.

Wait, what? Maybe you didn't read everything that was written. I didn't move into a rural area. This is just outside of the Tacoma city limits. I say "grandfathered in" because even though all of the area surrounding this place (say, more than a mile) has been allowed to build up, this little section has been made to stay agricultural and they only allow a minimum lot size of 2.5 acres. Those that are smaller were divided off before the county decided the area should stay an AG area.

I didn't move here expecting things to change. There aren't any "influential" people gentrifying the place and expecting things to change. The speed limit is 35 and has been that for, at least, the 60 years that my neighbor has lived here. Like I said, it is a two lane road with houses 30-40' from the road. Many of the houses have driveways that force them to back out onto the road. People speed down the street because they like to use it as a thoroughfare to avoid the busier main streets (Canyon and Waller) that have 45mph limits.

Again, I was just asking how any of you have dealt with people speeding to the point that it causes some serious issues and has the very real potential of causing even more. I really wasn't expecting to get chided by people going off half-cocked because they think that I am up on some high horse and expect an area to change due to my greatness and presence.

 

[PassnThru]

What part of your post said that you were surrounded by residential zoning?

 

[Backyard Imports]

What part of your post said that you were surrounded by residential zoning?

The part where I said "this is considered a residential area" and maybe "located just outside of Tacoma, Wa". But I guess that would be assuming that our definition of "just outside" is the same and I shouldn't do that.

But I will be more specific... "just outside", in this case, is about 3 miles from city limits. The city of Tacoma is the 3rd (possibly 4th) largest city in the state. If you go 1 mile in any direction the parcel sizes drop down to 5+ Lots per acre. This area really is an outlier and most people aren't even aware that it is here. When I say that I live in Tacoma, on 5 acres, that used to be a dairy farm and that we have cows, chickens, sheep, and goats, they are dumbfounded.

Again though, why am I defending myself when I only asked for advice from people who have had to deal with speeders? What is with the attacks and not just advice?

 

[toyotadriver]

Guess I gotta be the bubble burster here as well (as with the stolen tools thread).

25 year cop here....

Everybody wants those damn speeders brought to justice when they are speeding in your neighborhood.... until your aunt, nephew, kid, cousin, brother-in-law, wife, mother, or long lost love child gets a ticket in your wanted speed trap....

Had a sub-division here that were screaming ****** murder about people blowing the stop sign near the entrance to the neighborhood. 90% of the people we stopped actually lived in that sub-division and didn't like it to be "hassled" by the cops.

Neighborhood Watch program in a predominately African American neighborhood was screaming about the drugs and other crime taking place in the neighborhood... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Well we did.... stopped cars, searches, drug arrests, etc. Once they found out that we were arresting people they knew, friends and family, suddenly we were racists who were purposely messing with the black community.


Pretty much the same, they want you to hassle people.... but not THEIR people (family, friends, etc.).

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I also work LE. One time a long time ago, the department I worked for had a guy complaining about speeders. So we went out and ran radar and wrote some tickets. Buddy of mine stopped him for....speeding. Guy actually had the nerve to tell him that HE was the one who asked for us to run radar. Apparently he thought it would keep him from getting a ticket....it didn't.

My department has a traffic unit that would get sent out to run radar and write some citations based on complaints. We don't write a lot of tickets in general (less than 10% of the total number of people we stop) but when we get complaints about a given area, we write some tickets there to get the word out. People usually slow down for awhile after that.

For those that hate speeding tickets, the public constantly files complaints about speeders. If you don't want us to work a certain area and write tickets to speeders, tell your fellow citizens to stop asking for us to do it.

To the OP....see if you can talk to the actual elected sheriff. Some will be happy to talk to you and some are extremely busy and will have a hard time fitting you in to their schedule. Depends on a lot of factors. Give it a try though because, if the actual elected sheriff takes a special interest in an area, you'll see deputies in the area stopping speeders!

 

[PassnThru]

I have a pointed stick - I must use it

Your location description could easily be construed as rural and the edge of semi-residential before it opens to agricultural. Apparently that's not the case but why you got some kick back.

I was also swayed by your assertion that the houses were so close to the road. I have to wonder why someone with 2 to 5 acres would build that close to the road. And if they chose to do so, why should their choice have any impact on the road use or speed limit.

Anyway - you have the classic situation of an area that happens to provide a shortcut between destinations for surrounding areas. If you find a solution you will have solved a very common problem that to my knowledge has never been solved before.

 

[mikegt4]

I live on a rural road, the speed limit is 55. Most people do that or less but then again the road doesn't get used as a cut through to someplace else.

Back circa 1970 I had a friend that lived on a road in a semi rural area. There were ranch houses on 1 acre lots down one side and a corn field on the other. About 10 houses down the road was a teenager with a muscle car appropriate to the era. Every time he left the house there was rubber to be burnt. His parents were not helpful in getting him to slow down so my friend decided to help them out.

One day he saw the kid jump in his car and back out of the driveway so my friend also jumped in his car. As the kid came down the street in a cloud of tire smoke my friend backed down his driveway at speed then slammed on his brakes stopping at the edge of the road. The kid, trying to avoid a collision, swerved into the corn field (no ditch) and got stuck in the mud.

Of course back then there would be no legal repercussions, in fact the cops would probably tell the kid that it served him right.

 

[Parrothead]

Why is the speed limit so low?

This! Most of the speed limit laws were made years ago, when cars couldn't accelerate, handle and brake like they do now. My wife's 11 year old Nissan Altima V6 4 door sedan with traction control and airbags could outrun a 1970 Corvette 427. The speed limits are basically the same...why?

 

[L5wolvesf]

call your mayor/city councilor and keep calling. they will put pressure on cops to allocate some time for speeders.

Essentially this plus. Get the people in your area together and attend town counsel meetings, raise the issue. Contact local media about the stories and that Sheriff XXXX et al won't help, children, pets and property are in danger and no one will do anything about it.

Make the jobs of those who don't help miserable or in tool parlance "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". Squeak it loud, squeak it proud.

 

[RVDan]

Buy a surplus Crown Vic or Caprice or whatever your local law enforcement uses and park it at the end of your driveway.

 

[PugetDude]

Of course, you could always do this....

 

[vettex2]

Speed limits are limits... not a suggested minimum. A two lane road like the op is talking about is undivided and people live there... 35 mph is totally legit. Speeding tickets should automatically be issued by YOUR cars computer.

It's ignorant to think someone has above average driving skills to exceed the speed limit by 60 to 80% and be safe to themselves or others. So if you are going 60 in a 35... nuff said.

Sieg Heil!

 

[vettex2]

I also work LE. One time a long time ago, the department I worked for had a guy complaining about speeders. So we went out and ran radar and wrote some tickets. Buddy of mine stopped him for....speeding. Guy actually had the nerve to tell him that HE was the one who asked for us to run radar. Apparently he thought it would keep him from getting a ticket....it didn't.