Driving home from my in-laws last night, we passed a group of Madison’s finest (AKA the police) setting up a speed trap near our home. This is a very common experience around here, especially on a specific stretch of roadway called Highway M. In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive a speeding ticket on this stretch of road 3 years ago. That being said, at least once a quarter, the cops will set up their sting operation and almost always nab some unsuspecting lawbreakers doing 44 in a 35! Thank God the police are there to protect us, huh? Now a little backstory about this specific road: Up until 3 years ago, the speed limit on Hwy M was 45MPH. There have been absolutely no changes to this roadway or anything surrounding this roadway since the speed limit was 45, but the city planners saw fit to arbitrarily drop it anyway. Why was the speed limit reduced by over 20%? I’ve tried to contact the city about this numerous times, but no one ever saw fit to return by calls/emails. I’ve been living on this side of town over 12 years and have never seen, nor heard of any speed related incidents on this road. I drive on this stretch of road probably 5 or 6 times per day, and limiting your speed to 35MPH seems so ridiculous as to actually anger me. Not only that, but on adjacent roadways with very similar surroundings, the speed limits are 45, and there is one stretch of roadway that is 55! What is going on?
There is no doubt in my mind that revenue is the ONLY reason that police issue speeding tickets near my home, and I’m sure that that is the case in many other neighborhoods around this country. These cops are nothing but tax collectors with guns and badges! I truly despise this practice, and not just because of the arrogance of the police who enforce these speed traps, but because speed limits are just so arbitrary and silly to begin with. In my town, the speed limit on the freeway is 55MPH! Are you kidding me? The same speed limit that was imposed by Jimmy Carter in the mid 1970’s is still in effect today in Madison, WI. The speed limit that was imposed solely to save fuel during the fuel ?shortage? is still hampering productivity 40 years later, in 2015. Truly astounding when you consider how much automotive technology has improved over the last 40 years. Think about how much handling, breaking and efficiency have improved in the previous decades and try to reconcile that with a 55MPH speed limit on a freeway.
The truth about many speed limits is that they are all about the power (and revenue) of the government over the citizenry. There is no other explanation for the insane speed limits imposed in my area. And Madison, as many of you know, is all about the uber liberal policies that feature government control over private citizen’s freedoms. I’d like to see a comparison of the speed limits, or lack thereof, in areas controlled by liberals versus those in areas controlled by small government conservatives. There were no speed limits in areas of the Dakotas for a period of time after the Republican congress eliminated the federal speed limit.
Just my thoughts, for what they’re worth. Thanks for taking the time to visit!