Calgary drivers weigh in on speed traps
Posted Feb 7, 2013 6:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
He’s the super-hero of ticket writing, and if you drive through the intersection of 16th Avenue and 68th Street N.E., you’ve probably seen him.
Constable Derrick Luxen, a 31-year veteran of the Calgary police force, sets up shop regularly in the area where the speed limit drops from 90 km/h to 70, and he gets a ton of business.
According to The Calgary Sun, in two years, Luxen wrote close to 10,000 tickets; hauling in more than $225-thousand.
Calgary police say it’s not so-called “fishing,” but a matter of public safety; stats show there were 381 crashes at that intersection between 2007 and 2012.
Drivers tell 660News they think these officers are doing nothing more than filling a quota, looking for added sources of revenue for the police force and the city.
Ken says he doesn’t like them.
“It’s not a necessary thing, it really isn’t. I just think that speed and red light radars and stuff like that, all it is, is a cash grab,” he says.
Most say the tickets do nothing to deter a driver with a lead foot, but not everyone agrees.
One woman tells 660News the city needs to slow down, and gives kudos to the officers.
She says there’s a need for this kind of public safety initiatives.
