Speeding tickets up 150 percent in Adams Township

By RANDY GRIFFITH
The Tribune-Democrat

May 08, 2008 01:11 am

— SALIX – Three months of stepped-up traffic enforcement has boosted speeding tickets by 150 percent in Adams Township, police Chief Kirk Moss said.
While that may sound like a windfall in fine revenues, Adams’ total share is just $625 for all tickets issued – an increase of about $400.
“We don’t send our police out and give them a quota,” township Supervisor Dennis Gdula said. “That’s not our motive. We send them out to protect the public. It’s a safety issue.”
As part of an initiative to increase awareness of speeding dangers, Adams is temporarily using state-owned radar signs that indicate drivers’ speed.
A sign initially was set up along Route 869, Locust Street, near Forest Hills High School. This week, there’s one along Ragers Hill Road below the Solomon Run Road intersection. Both are 35 mph zones.
“It raises speed awareness,” Gdula said. “People don’t realize how fast they are going until they see the sign.”
State grants from Buckle Up Pennsylvania and the Smooth Operator effort cover part-time officers’ wages and other costs for the increased enforcement. Smooth Operator targets high-crash areas of state roads.
“We know we have a traffic problem,” Moss said. “The accident data is telling us that.”
Although the state programs target state roads, Moss expects to step up patrols on township streets before long.
“You have to go into the communities,” he said. “Where are there safety problems? In the residential neighborhoods.”
Moss said those ticketed were driving at least 15 mph above the posted limit, or at least 50 in a 35 zone.
Smooth Operator requires at least 12 mph above the limit for citations, PennDOT safety spokesman Shawn Houck said.
“We are not just after anybody,” he said. “We are after what we call ‘standout speeders.’ ”

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