My Fake "SPEED TRAP"...

[arwalden]

In my neighborhood, the speed limit is 25 MPH. Unfortunately, most of the younger drivers (and some older ones) think that it's 55 MPH. Seriously!

Pulling out of one's own driveway was dangerous. Even something as simple as standing on the curb to open the mailbox was risky and took timing (only after scanning the horizon to see if there were any oncoming speed demons.)

So... I painted "SPEED TRAP!" in huge fluorescent letters on a 3-foot by 4-foot piece of plywood.

Next, I secured it to my mailbox post so that it's visible to the traffic that EXITS the neighborhood in the morning. In the afternoon, I turn the sign around so that the INBOUND commuters will see it.

NO speed trap actually exists, though. The cops rarely ever come back into our neighborhood, and most drivers know that. I think that's why they feel they can turn our street into a raceway.

Now... It's just AMAZING that everyone drives 25 miles an hour! Some of the drivers even "beep-beep" and give a great big "THANK-YOU-wave" to me if they see that I'm out working in the yard.

I take the sign down every day or so to keep it from becoming an "invisible fixture" that everyone's accustomed to seeing. --- I'll put it up again on random days to make it appear to the drivers as though I'm lookin' out for them.

-- Allen

edit: clarity

[MuseRider]

1. WOW!

Are we related? We live just outside the city limits and there is not a lot of traffic but the people who go through here go pretty fast. My main problem was stop signs. I would be going down the road slamming on my brakes while people pulled out in front of me, mostly during drive time to and from work. I put up signs on the stop sign posts that pointed to the stop signs that said REALLY! Unfortunately it did not help. Good for you, I hope it works for a long time. We have lots of accidents as the fast traffic hits the folks who can't be bothered to stop.

[baldguy]

2. Once, my neighbor stood in the middle of the road with a baseball bat.

He had two kids, and was sick of propel drag racing down our street.

[NMDemDist2]

3. we had the same problem off and on

i called the local cop shop and told them about the 50 in the 25 MPH school zone and we have had cops writing tickets every other month or so since. It has REALLY helped

[arwalden]

6. If The Cops EVER Do Decide To Start Patrolling Our Neighborhood...

I'll take the sign down and let the jerks get caught. (Then put it back up again after the cops move on.)

Ain't I a stinker?

-- Allen

[NMDemDist2]

7. have you called them to complain? that's what it took for us eom

[curse10]

4. That's clever!

:-) Good idea!

[JVS]

5. You might want to make some DIY speed bumps too

Dig monstrous potholes on your street to make people slow down.