River Road speed limit change to 35 mph

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

I am quite sure if you cited someone for impeding traffic, when they are driving the limit, and it is NOT in the left lane of a multilane road, that ticket would get dismissed by the court. You would be wasting your time showing up in court for it, and I suspect your supervisor would have problems with it. If it got out that you did that (in my inside the beltway jurisdiction) I can swear the local safety advocates would be abuzz and it would be a scandal.

If you are really a LEO, you either don't do traffic, or you are not a local cop in a close in jurisdiction in greater DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

I am quite sure if you cited someone for impeding traffic, when they are driving the limit, and it is NOT in the left lane of a multilane road, that ticket would get dismissed by the court. You would be wasting your time showing up in court for it, and I suspect your supervisor would have problems with it. If it got out that you did that (in my inside the beltway jurisdiction) I can swear the local safety advocates would be abuzz and it would be a scandal.

If you are really a LEO, you either don't do traffic, or you are not a local cop in a close in jurisdiction in greater DC.

How are you quite sure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

I am quite sure if you cited someone for impeding traffic, when they are driving the limit, and it is NOT in the left lane of a multilane road, that ticket would get dismissed by the court. You would be wasting your time showing up in court for it, and I suspect your supervisor would have problems with it. If it got out that you did that (in my inside the beltway jurisdiction) I can swear the local safety advocates would be abuzz and it would be a scandal.

If you are really a LEO, you either don't do traffic, or you are not a local cop in a close in jurisdiction in greater DC.

I wouldn't write that ticket. I said you could be cited.

And anyway, the poster specifically said they would get in the left lane and pace the slow car in the right lane, backing up all traffic behind them. This is really dangerous behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been having a ball lately trolling people on River Rd since the speed limit got lowered.

I get in the left lane, set my cruise to exactly 35, and watch the line behind me grow.

Or, I pace someone driving slow in the right lane (but usually still over 35, much to my chagrin) and block everyone the whole way to Burning Tree, where I turn off.

I work later, so I'm doing this about 7:30-7:45 most nights. Hopefully I've enraged a few of the a-hole leadfoot drivers here in this thread!!! Too bad, so sad!!!

The speed limit is now 35. Deal with it.

And if you're behind me, 35 is what you'll be doing.

You're a menace. You might think you're cool, but you are causing more problems than you are solving. This is really dangerous behavior.

My driver instructor taught me to be a defensive driver rather than an offensive one. Driving in such passive agressive manner is not characteristic of defensive driving and it's more like reacing to reckless/stupid drivers with equally stupid behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

I am quite sure if you cited someone for impeding traffic, when they are driving the limit, and it is NOT in the left lane of a multilane road, that ticket would get dismissed by the court. You would be wasting your time showing up in court for it, and I suspect your supervisor would have problems with it. If it got out that you did that (in my inside the beltway jurisdiction) I can swear the local safety advocates would be abuzz and it would be a scandal.

If you are really a LEO, you either don't do traffic, or you are not a local cop in a close in jurisdiction in greater DC.

I wouldn't write that ticket. I said you could be cited.

And anyway, the poster specifically said they would get in the left lane and pace the slow car in the right lane, backing up all traffic behind them. This is really dangerous behavior.

In theory they could be cited, but as it seems you understand, it wouldn't stick. And giving the citation would likely be a scandal.

Driving the limit on the left lane of an arterial is a grey area - its not an interstate highway, and there are good reasons to take the left lane for reasons other than passing, and I am pretty sure its legal to do so in Maryland (and DC and Virginia).

Of course I have been tailgated driving the limit on roads that were one lane in each direction, and when driving in the right lane of a road that is two lanes in each direction. Such behavior is both dangerous AND illegal, and IMO is a bigger problem than anything the PP is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

People in Bethesda hire lawyers for traffic court?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

People in Bethesda hire lawyers for traffic court?

Ppl in Bethesda spend their days fighting for 45 to go down to 35 then troll other drivers bc getting the speed lowered wasn’t enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

People in Bethesda hire lawyers for traffic court?

Nah, I'd do it as a favor for any of my friends or neighbors who asked me too.

I don't spend much time in court since that's not my practice, but it's pretty straightforward, and I have an intense dislike for police officers. So I'd happily do it for lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

So rather than even commenting on my remark that the PP is intentionally impeding traffic flow which could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident, you are going to argue an action that I admitted I would be unlikely (although within my discretion) to take, that is, issuing a citation? You really think this clown is behaving rationally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

People in Bethesda hire lawyers for traffic court?

We are the lawyers, although it probably wouldn't be worth our time to fight an ordinary ticket.

[Anonymous]

I remember once in high school, my friend drove us down that stretch of River Rd to get lunch. He has his dad's Porsche that day and we did 110. The slower traffic was staying to the right. 35 is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead - tell your little story to any safety expert, transportation specialist, or law enforcement officer, and see what kind of answer you get.

They’ll tell me I’m obeying the speed limit and driving safely. That’s what they’ll tell me.

LEO here. Obeying the speed limit and driving safely are two different things. You might be doing one, but you are certainly not doing the other. If I came up on you running your little blockade, I'd flash the blue lights and get you to move over. You could be cited for this kind of behavior, not to mention that your intentionally impeding traffic flow could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident. Leave the policing to the police.

You're pretty ignorant for a "LEO".

It would be fun putting you on the stand and watching you fail to explain how my client was impeding traffic by following the law to the very letter. And need I remind you, officer, that here in Maryland there is no law requiring the left lane be reserved solely for passing or vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit. There's not even a sign posted on River for "slower traffic keep right".

It would be delightful to cross examine you in such a case.

So rather than even commenting on my remark that the PP is intentionally impeding traffic flow which could limit emergency vehicle response or be a contributing factor to a road rage incident, you are going to argue an action that I admitted I would be unlikely (although within my discretion) to take, that is, issuing a citation? You really think this clown is behaving rationally?

Not sure why PP has to be going over 35 in a 35 zone in order to be able to pull back into the other lane when he hears a siren. Is it a legal rquirement that cars in two adjacent lanes go at different speeds

As for road rage, if someone is enraged that someone else is driving the speed limit that's on them. Possibility of inciting road rage is not justification for issuing a citation, IMO. Again, if this happened in my jurisdiction - someone cited for doing 35MPH in a 35MPH out of concern for "road rage" - I would be in front of the local elected body and complaining very loudly and asking how this comported with our local goals. But perhaps your jurisdiction is different.

[Anonymous]

If I drive at 36MPH in the left lane, is THAT impeding traffic flow because some folks want to drive 45? Does it matter if folks in the right lane are actually driving 35MPH? The notion that I am impeding traffic by driving ABOVE the speed limit, but not fast enough anywhere other than a passing only lane on an interstate, is absurd, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember once in high school, my friend drove us down that stretch of River Rd to get lunch. He has his dad's Porsche that day and we did 110. The slower traffic was staying to the right. 35 is absurd.

Certainly something is absurd here, but it's not the 35 mph speed limit.