[ Almanack Index | Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]

Drive Without Being Driven Crazy

Avoid the Traps Did you know speedtraps are illegal? That doesn't mean officers can't work in tandem. Here's a list of popular areas for ticket distribution. The best defense is avoidance, of course. Most of the info is culled from the Speedtrap Registry Web site, a must-read for local commuters. Leigh Avenue between Hamilton and Dry Creek Road. Posted limit is 35. It is the land of the photo radar, so beware. Central Expressway. As it passes San Antonio Road heading north from Mountain View to Palo Alto, the speed limit changes from 45 mph to 35 mph. The police regularly sit just beyond the change point with their radar guns cocked and loaded. San Antonio Road, from Leghorn to Highway 101. Palo Alto PD and the Mountain View PD pull people over at all times of the day. The speed limit is 35 mph and they will ticket at 45 mph. Benton Avenue. Beware if you head west on Benton, after traveling north on Lawrence Expressway. Motorcycle cops hide out on side streets on the right-hand side of the road. Lick Mill Road between Montague and Tasman. Motorcycle cops wait in the driveways of the Mansion Grove apartment complex with their radar guns out, mostly during morning and evening rush hours. El Camino Real between Lawrence Expressway and Lafayette Road. The cops usually hide in the driveways of various businesses, especially Taco Bell, Yoshinaya and other eateries. They switch off all their lights and wait in ambush, ticketing at 4-5 miles above the speed limit, which is 35 mph. Tasman Drive near Great America Parkway and 49er training camp. Officers operate radar for eastbound traffic between Great America Parkway and Lick Mill Boulevard. Usually located at the intersection of Tasman and Centennial Boulevard. The speed limit is 40 mph and this section of road is wide open, with a nice hill to mask the officers until it's too late. Evelyn Avenue between Fair Oaks and Wolfe. Speed limit is 30 mph; motorcycle cops hide behind hedges with radar guns. Central Expressway between Lawrence Expressway and Highway 85. This section is notorious for radar. Homestead Road from Sunnyvale/Saratoga Avenue to Lawrence Expressway. This section is usually patrolled at lunchtime by motorcycle cops parked up on residents' driveways with their radar guns pointed at Homestead in both directions. They usually work in pairs or teams. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]