The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-05
SPEED TRAP SEASON ON SOON
RTRAL OPERATIONS BEGIN
SERIOI sly on JGNE L.
GENTRY Places In Need sl Money VII
Take ~ bleeding MaioTiats Rather
ThanTAN Thelr 0WR Residents speed
Regulations Of Ssme % Jhe states.

NAAe y WAfeuinN MotafHaN NAAuNt
ThanTAN rhelr pWR Residents speed
Regulations Of Ssme % the states.
The speei trap season is hardly open.
June Ia the day when the law h OF
throughOut the metropolitan motoring
district. and then the COnstablea come
out and lay traps for the motorist Whsn-
ever a town needs money aud doesn't
intend 70 raise It by taxing ~ own
residents the next best thing 10 do r.
20 levy taxes after the manner Of the
robhcr barons Of the Rhine. II that
town Is fortunate enough TO be on the line
Of motor traffic the thing il simple.
The game usually Is 10 mark on course
somewhere on a peculiarly inviting road
just where it appears 10 be outside the
limits of the towns control. Station
here a number Of men. One man lies
in the grass az one end OF the stretch
with a stOpwatCh. The moment q car
passes him he snaps the watch. He
can tell a. soon a. the machine has gone
a certain distance approximately what
It's speed h. and then he rises and gives
a signal with hand or handkerchief to
those hidden down tho line few yards
ahead u where the car n.
Time was when the constable merely
strobe out into the road with hand up
raised 10 halt the car. but when an coca
sional mOtorist who had been trimmed
before in that trap shot the machine
"A H.. f,,I1 sfls sk. Z, eac..r - tha l.,w haA
TO duck So the effective schemes are
these: Either have a motorcycle man
TO pursue the motorist or else have a rope
to draw across the road. This latter II
a very effective bar 10 progress, and
unless the motorist ID very determined
he will be halted by IT,
There was a man once, though. who
away up the river near Albany saw some
rural police and helpers stretch a rope
across his path. He was on a slight down
grade and he didn't hesitate a moment
He threw on bit more power and hit the
speed up. About the time he hit that
rope there was only one man who hadn't
been able 20 make up his mind 10 let 60.
He renewed his youthful experience in
snap the whip and the rural papers had a
report about ten days later that he would
he abls 10 sit up in perhaps a month.
II doesn't make much difference to the
timer whether the motOrist IL really and
truly breaking the law II the town needs
the money Any sort 81 statement from
the man Who holds the watch will do;
hut sometimes the mOtorist fools the trap
timer One day a motor party was going
along a good stretch at a nice clip when a
point came up about the road they should
be taking They slowed down. in fact
came 10 n complete stop IN the road. while
the guide map was consulted Then they
picked up again. but ran along slowly for
a while discussing the matter about the
road After they had gone about twenty
wards they passed disConsolate look
ing group Of men az the roadside. one 81
them holding a rope, the others looking
ready % use ~ 10 lynch the chauffeur Who
had baked them
-SkIunad YOU hat time didn't IY-asxed
the chauffeur. Who happened % be the
owner
Don't get fresh. young TELLER. said the
constable In the Rroup
I'm get AZ fresh a. ! please said the
chauffeur, and II any 81 YOU think yOu
can catch me you're welcome 70 try
With that he discharged a full blast
Of choking smoke toward the party and
sent on his way.
Not an are 80 lucky. however. and
the renalty varies only according 20 the
district For instance. one man says thai
in the Oranges they arr charging Si0O
apiece Tor all who are caught. Down on
Long Island In some places they get SIS
a. - mRH l..
Massachusetts, Il h the custom in some
places 20 hold for trial and then arrange
for the services 81 a lawyer local TO
appear for the Dri-oner. who u almost
certain % forfeit his bond. The bond
and the lawyers Zee amount 10 a fair
sized fine.
The regular list % motor trans hasn't
been made out vet The automobile clubs
and agencies keep pretty we'll informed
on them and there Il a sort Of freema-
zonry among automObili-ts. 20 that they
warn one another about the chances %
getting caught A hand held uD often
will mean a difference In time and monev
Of sOme size % the rotorist thus tipped
On 10 slow down.
The con@tahles affect a high moral tone
and deliver themselves % the =entiment
that svssdsrE ought 20 get Jail terms
" NAA NAhNN NAEAA - NAAsAA WV NsAAA NNNtAH
should have the alternative ~ heavy
fines N that the automobile folks prob
ably would choose the latter The result
would he complete pleasure 20 the con-
stables
one mOtorist suggests that the only
way 70 get even with thOzs who run the
trans for revenue only and who have
certain DAYS for taking In any one who
masses that wav i N avoid the district
Leaving Il ~ the routes and going out %
the way not 20 ~ found there would
make ~ great a differences % the financial
returns n the place in ways other than
automobile fines that the inhabitants
would find out pretty sOOn what WAS up
and would insist on a little less grating
and a little more attention 20 law.
An interesting table II speed limits
for various States in this country has
been made Nv by Touring. an automobile
magazine, These are -et forth as fol-
lows
Alabama Open country miles an hour
I miles an hour on dams aud Causeways
with roadbed less than 10 feet
California Four miles an hour. bridges
dams. sharp curves or steep descents. ~
miles an hour thickly settled districts -
miles. op~n country
Delaware Six miles an hour on curves
and Intersections IN thiokly settled dis
tricts. y miles an hour on highways Of
thickly -sttled districts 20 miles. open coun-
try. and - miles on curves and Intersections
IN Omen country.
District Of Columbia Sin miles On hour
on corners q miles on crossings. y miles
within hre limits IS miles In parks; 70 miles
open country.