file photo by Boyd Loving
I recently noticed that Ridgewood police have used to their advantage new pine trees that have been planted in front of the Bergen County utility shed on Franklin Turnpike behind a park-and-ride lot. This provides perfect cover for their vehicles to monitor speeding cars heading north on Franklin Turnpike.
Prior to the tree planting, police would monitor from this location but be visible. Certainly their visibility deterred or reduced the likelihood of speeders. Now their camouflage doesn’t deter, but it facilitates the choice to speed and for Ridgewood to issue summonses and garner revenue.
So is the Ridgewood Police Department in the business of deterring vehicular violations and related accident risks, or only issuing summonses? How would police feel if I was able to get permission from one of the property owners to post a sign on Franklin Turnpike stating, “Speed trap ahead hiding behind the trees — slow down.”
It seems to me this would be a win/win for all drivers, reducing the likelihood of speeding and preventing accidents. But revenues may be reduced.
Gene Ret
Ridgewood, Nov. 23
If you are not speeding you don’t have to worry about it.
MORE SIGNS !
Gene Ret. What are the speed limit signs for?
Waldwick is famous for this…..WPD also hides out on streets that have No Right on Red until 4:00PM…if you make that turn at 3:59PM you will get accosted….
Speeders deserve tickets. What is the point in warning them of a speed trap, just to have them slow down until they pass through it and then floor it again.
I hope the PDs all over this great country wear out their pens in writing as many tickets as humanly possible. With the amount of lousy driving I see every day, the opportunities for them to collect “stupid taxes” are endless.
Have you ever seen how people drive today you could not write enough tickets.
I have to compliment the author of the editorial.
If you google his name you’ll see he lives on Racetrack Road, just off Route 17.
Does he want people to be able to speed past his little children when they are walking in front of their house?
We all speed from time to time…its just human nature. On the highway is one thing, but on surface roads, with lots of people around, it’s quite another. Winning the reverse lottery is a good reminder about responsibility for your actions.
RPD could sit there and on Glen all day and write tickets. 25 MPH is not just a suggestion (especially in a school zone)
The intent of the radar patrol is compliance. The cops do not get paid extra to write speeding tickets. If their presence slows down traffic, then the mission is accomplished.
I’d have to agree that waldwick is always running radar. And they get the award for the ugliest police cars in the state.
I speed all the time.
I heard a certain elected official was racing up Franklin Tpke to his latest girlfriend’s house.
Didn’t he marry her?
Yes and waldwick with its never ending greed for revenue lost one of its officers who thought it was a good idea to “hide” on a major hi way, at night, in the breakdown lane with his lights off? How is that a good idea?
All for a dollar. Absolutely pathetic.
Why don’t just dance on his grave 9:30.
It’s unfortunate that the waldwick officer lost his life.
I see Bergen county pd sitting in the breakdown lane all the time running radar.
It’s very dangerous and for their own safety, find a spot off the road, just like mahwah does on 17 north.
Writing speeding tickets isn’t worth the risk due to a poor choice of hiding.
the law stands that they must keep some sort of lights on, or it’s( entrapment. )