Yesterday was a pretty good day. Pam and me rode out to Rahway for their Hot Rods and Harleys event. It was the first one of these that we’d been to. Â What an incredible exhibit of vintage iron! What a trip down memory lane! Â The weather was pretty good, too. 70s, mostly sunny, a fine day for walking around. We caught a bit of a sprinkle on the way out but it passed so quickly that it just didn’t matter.
After a stop for a quick beer, we left Milltown and entered the evening traffic of route 1 south. Accelerating into the left lane I worked my way through the gears rather loudly, smiling to myself, satisfied with the day. Then I saw the squad car under the flyover. It was much too late to do much about it.
I flipped the blinker and decelerated, moving back through the lanes, and left the highway for the Office Depot parking lot. There really isn’t anyplace safe to pull over, and I figured this would likely be a lengthy stop. I killed the motor and Pam and me dismounted, doffing our helmets.
The officer got out of his car and approached. “License and registration, please.”
“Yes, sir.” I pulled my license, handed it over and began sorting through the registration and insurance documents in my wallet, I have several.
“Mr. Plavnicky,” he said, “you’re local. You were doing seventy one in a fifty. You have yourself a nice day.” He handed my license back.
“Thank you, sir!” I said as he returned to his car.
We mounted up and left the parking lot. It could have gone very differently.
I didn’t catch the badge number or name, but if you happen to be reading – yeah, right, like that’s likely – well, thanks for making my day!
Somdays it’s good to be you! :D
Oh no it isn’t! Some history follows…
The flyover I mentioned was built several years back. What it replaced, the infamous “route one traffic circle”, was the scene of traffic, accidents and controversy for many decades. It cost… well, what I guess you’d call ‘real money’. It also took years to construct. During construction time, the speed limit before and after – for a couple of miles – was reduced to 35 MPH. The state funded extra enforcement and overtime solely for patrol and revenue generation – er, enforcement. The state took their cut of the fines and the township got the rest. To the tune of over 5 million a year.
Eventually the project was completed and the speed restrictions were lifted. Now, as we all know, whenever some part of the government becomes accustomed to money coming in it’s pretty close to impossible to wrest it away. So they enforce the fifty very closely. At peak times, they’ll stage a car under the flyover, rather invisible to the oncoming heavy traffic, where they have a clean radar view for a good mile. Just after the flyover they stage multiple chase cars. They will set up and take all the victims – er, offenders they want.
It makes a ton of money. If it’s a fishing analogy you want, it’s more akin to shooting fish in a barrel.
If I were non-local it definitely would have been a hefty fine, plus points.
That stretch of 1 is “catch and release” only. If you take the fish home, a game warden comes with it. :-)