Birdman......you guys like my neighborhood!

[Bronze]

This morning as I was getting on I-5 southbound from 128th street in south Everett, I swear there was no less than 6 or 7 of you guys hiding right around the corner on the on ramp. All of you out of your cars with ticket books in hand just waiting to catch people using the HOV lane that were alone. There was a brown 3 series BMW that was pulled over getting a ticket, that guy is my neighbor LOL!!!!!! Cant wait to give him crap about that.

It was funny because I was watching in my rear view mirror for all the people diving back into the regular lanes as soon as they got a glimpse of you guys.


Good times.......good times.

[Super_HKS]

This morning as I was getting on I-5 southbound from 128th street in south Everett, I swear there was no less than 6 or 7 of you guys hiding right around the corner on the on ramp. All of you out of your cars with ticket books in hand just waiting to catch people using the HOV lane that were alone. There was a brown 3 series BMW that was pulled over getting a ticket, that guy is my neighbor LOL!!!!!! Cant wait to give him crap about that.

It was funny because I was watching in my rear view mirror for all the people diving back into the regular lanes as soon as they got a glimpse of you guys.


Good times.......good times.

I think birdman is still on night schedule so he prob wasnt there. I got a good one for ya to that was on 405 north yesterday.

Comming from kirkland I was in the lane closest to the HOV. I noticed this guy behind me go into HOV lane to pass. Little did he know, there were 2 motorcycle troopers right there. The motorcycle trooper flipped his lights on and got basically pointed him to the shoulder. The driver hit the breaks and got right over to the shoulder. I belive from my ride along experience the HOV ticket is over 200 dollars
If its not between 9pm and 5am on 405 do not use the HOV lane.

[caely02ethan04]

. and ticket violators are such easy money for the state its great

Common misconception. The state sees very little of that money(the State Patrol even less). Most of the money from tickets go to the county that the ticket was written in.

[Super_HKS]

Common misconception. The state sees very little of that money(the State Patrol even less). Most of the money from tickets go to the county that the ticket was written in.

I had no idea

[birdman0]

You got it... I would bet that if we did get more of the money, our pay would be better; we write A LOT of infractions. And as if you could ever doubt, here is the article...

Copyright© 2007, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
February 13, 2007
By: Phuong Cat Le

What drives the issuing of speeding tickets

Suzy Katona can't shake the feeling that the Washington State Patrol has been sneaky lately, "hiding out" and issuing speeding tickets along Maltby
Road between the Bothell-Everett Highway and state Route 9 in Snohomish County. She and many of her neighbors have been nailed going over the posted 35-mph speed limit. The limit should be closer to 45 mph, she believes.
The first time police pulled her over, Katona got a warning. The second time, she got hit with a $132 ticket.
"That whole area is a speed trap," said Katona, a mother of two who lives in Snohomish. "I think it's a very sneaky way of collecting money."

Q: Who sets speed limits in this state? And where does the money from such tickets go?

A: State or local departments of transportation set speed limits.

And, although Washington State Patrol troopers write the bulk of speeding tickets in the state, money collected from those tickets doesn't go directly into the agency's coffers.

"The money aspect is very interesting, because people seem to think we make money off of the speeding tickets, and that's incorrect," said Sgt. Monica Hunter, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Patrol.
In 2006, troopers stopped nearly 480,000 drivers statewide for speeding. They let them off about 37 percent of the time, giving out about 176,600 oral or written warnings and actually ticketing about 303,000 people.

So how much does the state collect in fines?
It's unclear, because there's no central place where such information resides. Courts in each county or city are responsible for collecting fines on speeding tickets, not the State Patrol. And the Administrative Office of the Courts, which keeps data for most courts in the state, says it doesn't track specifically how much the courts are taking in from speeding fines.
A speeding survey by the Governors Highway Safety Association found that 40 state police departments or highway patrols, including Washington's, issued more than 8.1 million citations for speeding in 2003, generating as much as $2.3 billion in revenue.

So, in Washington, who gets that money?
The state and the local jurisdiction where the citation was issued split the cost of the fine. So, if a state trooper tickets you on Interstate 5 through Seattle, the city would get 57 percent and the rest goes into a state fund called the Public Safety Education Account.
That account pays for statewide traffic safety education, criminal justice training, crime victims' compensation and drug court operations. The State Patrol gets some money from that account to pay for the state crime lab and other programs.

The state Supreme Court sets the base traffic fines. And base speed limits are written into state law, but the Washington Department of Transportation can raise or lower the speed limits for a number of reasons, including high incidence of collisions. Cities and counties can do the same on their streets and roads.

The basic rule is that speed limits are set at the 85th percentile of speed, that is, the speed that 85 out of 100 motorists will naturally drive at.
Addressing other misperceptions, Hunter said, "We don't have quotas. That's always been a big debate. No, we don't. It doesn't happen that way for us. (But) we expect troopers to work."

State troopers go where the problems are, she said. "People think we're making money, but what we're doing is responding to the calls of the citizens."
District commanders look at collision, arrest and complaint data and decide whether they need to step up enforcement in those areas, she said.
Statewide last year, troopers wrote the most speeding tickets in Chehalis near Rush Road, making 3,870 stops and issuing 2,786 tickets.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the State Patrol have been stepping up enforcement to reduce the number of speed-related collisions.
One area where troopers plan to blitz from Feb. 26 to March 10?
You guessed it. The Maltby area where Katona got pulled over.

[birdman0]

As to HOV lanes... we basically go where the calls are. We get a list, that shows where the largest number of reported HOV lane violations are, and we hit those spots hard.

HOV violation = $124.00. And seatbelts are not $101.00 anymore, though the fellow a few days ago tried to tell me I didn't know what the fine was.

I am on nights, so I won't be out until later. I have to work a few early shifts to cover for other folks, but I like my late nights... lots of action Fridays and Saturdays.