The Observation Deck

slow down MJM!!

tickets...who'd of thunk it?

so. effin. simple.

kate e parker wrote:slow down MJM!!

tickets...who'd of thunk it?

so. effin. simple.

It's just too "simple" for this Administration, which is ironic.

Mayor Mike Summers loves "his" data, but not necessarily the facts.

So, what does the data show over the past 10 years (including this year)?

Let's see the data for speeding tickets issued for each of the past ten years (including this year) for all of Lakewood.

And let's see the data for speeding tickets issued for each of the past ten years (including this year) for Woodward.

I'm guessing that a public records request of both the court and police department would get us that data.

Let's see the data for speeding tickets issued for each of the past ten years (including this year) for all of Lakewood.

And let's see the data for speeding tickets issued for each of the past ten years (including this year) for Woodward.

So they start issuing more tickets. tomorrow.

My prediction for new thread titles in three weeks time:

"Don't the Lakewood police have better things to do instead of harassing me for going 5 mph over the speed limit? I pay their salaries. Little Jimmy was late for swim practice, I had no choice. I never speed, yet I've gotten two tickets this week!"

"Your Lakewood tax dollars at work. Seven cruisers sitting on side streets, doing nothing!!"

"What is so special about _____ street that they get police running radar on their street and we don't? Favoritism. I demand equality for my street!"

and finally....

"Lakewood City Hall and police are unfriendly to businesses and its residents! They are issuing speeding tickets left and right and chasing people away from coming here."

Valerie Molinski wrote:

Let's see the data for speeding tickets issued for each of the past ten years (including this year) for all of Lakewood.

And let's see the data for speeding tickets issued for each of the past ten years (including this year) for Woodward.

So they start issuing more tickets. tomorrow.

My prediction for new thread titles in three weeks time:

"Don't the Lakewood police have better things to do instead of harassing me for going 5 mph over the speed limit? I pay their salaries. Little Jimmy was late for swim practice, I had no choice. I never speed, yet I've gotten two tickets this week!"

"Your Lakewood tax dollars at work. Seven cruisers sitting on side streets, doing nothing!!"

"What is so special about _____ street that they get police running radar on their street and we don't? Favoritism. I demand equality for my street!"

and finally....

"Lakewood City Hall and police are unfriendly to businesses and its residents! They are issuing speeding tickets left and right and chasing people away from coming here."

That post won't come from me.

Maybe it's the lawyer in me but I believe that City Hall should:

1. Enforce all the laws on the books in a uniform manner; and
2. Remove all the laws from the books that City Hall can't or won't enforce in a uniform manner.

Who can argue with that?

Matt

Valerie Molinski wrote:So they start issuing more tickets. tomorrow.

My prediction for new thread titles in three weeks time:

"Don't the Lakewood police have better things to do instead of harassing me for going 5 mph over the speed limit? I pay their salaries. Little Jimmy was late for swim practice, I had no choice. I never speed, yet I've gotten two tickets this week!"

"Your Lakewood tax dollars at work. Seven cruisers sitting on side streets, doing nothing!!"

"What is so special about _____ street that they get police running radar on their street and we don't? Favoritism. I demand equality for my street!"

and finally....

"Lakewood City Hall and police are unfriendly to businesses and its residents! They are issuing speeding tickets left and right and chasing people away from coming here."

Valerie

So the only way to enforce the speed limit is making another street look like it is under construction
while hurting the property value of those chosen by very suspicious means, to get the "Calmers?"

Enforcing the laws that are on the books, would decrease speeding throughout the entire city.
"Lakewood is tough on speeders" sounds pretty good to me. "Lakewood is tough on drunks"
Lakewood is tough on crime." All sounds good to me.

Retired Sgt Ed Favre, makes a great case for even enforcing jay walking.

What bothered me is the two officials I spoke to about this said basically, "We can't write tickets,
this has to work." Which I took to me, the City of Lakewood, and the ARB really screwed up this
residential neighborhood, and hurt good neighbors.

Now on to my real post...


In my hour and half spent their last night. I noticed many cars going to bright lights, and noticed
very few break lights.


The car lights now go in 3 house windows/porches going in and 2 more leaving. So for each
Chicane, 5 houses now have lights in their eyes.


Also, bright lights, or even regular car lights can blind the oncoming traffic for anywhere from
milliseconds to many seconds on a street with kids.


And when it snows?????????

The site at least needs 3 YIELD signs so at least one way understand they must slow for the other.

Also a 25mph car hitting another car going 25 head on is a 50 mph crash, that can be fatal. What
is Lakewood's legal responsibility after directing two cars into each other?

Yeah, the neighbors are in disagreement about everything except that Lakewood screw them over
with McDonald's and what they were allowed to get away with.

.

ETA: Deleted. Not worth it.

Valerie

I addressed it to you, because you were complaining again about what might happen if the police
did their job. I really didn't see anyone else talking about not ticketing speeders.

No, when the entrance and exit went on to side streets the residents got screwed.

I have zero sum in this game. I am not related to anyone shilling for the city, nor am I. My only
real concern is the same it has been since we started this project. Economic Development and its
impact on residential neighborhoods.

The ARB approved a nightmare of a design which has had to be corrected twice for safety, and is still
not safe. The lit sign on Woodward, is also against current sign laws.

Bend over Woodward, Grace, Cohassett, Scentic Drive, Graber, Bunts, Quali, Thrush, Nicholson,
Rcokway, Wayne, Sloan, Mathews you won't feel a thing...

(Post edited at Valerie Molinski's request)

.

ETA:

Deleted.

Take care, Jim.

I ran the Woodward gauntlet today... no slowing down, but it does have the feel of a perpetual construction zone. Writing tickets would seem to make more sense. Heck, one of my dumbest Lakewood tickets was one I got for 34 in a 25 going down Woodward, when I LIVED ON IT. It was an old, horrible 81 Regal that idled fast when it first started, so I literally coasted without hitting the gas all the way down the street and got nabbed. Definitely had the deterring effect thereafter.

With a bit of added City Hall irony, when used as a verb, the word "chicane" is defined as:

1Employ trickery or chicanery.
1.1 [WITH OBJECT] Deceive or trick (someone).

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/de ... sh/chicane

"Traffic Calming So Carry On"

Paul Schrimpf wrote:I ran the Woodward gauntlet today... no slowing down, but it does have the feel of a perpetual construction zone. Writing tickets would seem to make more sense. Heck, one of my dumbest Lakewood tickets was one I got for 34 in a 25 going down Woodward, when I LIVED ON IT. It was an old, horrible 81 Regal that idled fast when it first started, so I literally coasted without hitting the gas all the way down the street and got nabbed. Definitely had the deterring effect thereafter.

Paul

Not just the tickets, but the insurance has slowed me down. As I mentioned, retired Sgt Ed Favre makes
a great point about enforcing the little things. All sorts of reasons, from letting the person on the
street know you are there, to if you enforce the little things the bigger things they know you will
enforce. Also it is far easier for police to engage over smaller issues, collecting civic intelligence for
larger problems down the road.

As Matt Markling pointed out, enforce the laws or get rid of them. Not enforcing laws sets not just
a bad precedent, but opens the city to lawsuit when they are selectively enforced.

.

I followed a Lakewood Police officer up the street after nearly getting hit head on, he...


He pulls over to start radar...


... and about 12 cars later he had the first of many.


It is kind of funny how one persons nightmare is nothing to some one else. For example, the courts
where on person got it closed. Here the neighbors are saying one woman, pushed a petition around
and low and behold traffic calmers. Meanwhile two more residents I spoke to in the middle of the
street were a little miffed but somewhat interested in how it would work. The one who had iived
there since 1975, back when I was on the streets said, "To be honest I never noticed a serious
speeding problem, just the occasional idiot.

No matter now we did all of this, spent the extra money and still it is live police doing the best
work, and keeping those law breakers in check.

.

Valerie Molinski wrote:So they start issuing more tickets. tomorrow.

My prediction for new thread titles in three weeks time:

"Don't the Lakewood police have better things to do instead of harassing me for going 5 mph over the speed limit? I pay their salaries. Little Jimmy was late for swim practice, I had no choice. I never speed, yet I've gotten two tickets this week!"

"Your Lakewood tax dollars at work. Seven cruisers sitting on side streets, doing nothing!!"

"What is so special about _____ street that they get police running radar on their street and we don't? Favoritism. I demand equality for my street!"

and finally....

"Lakewood City Hall and police are unfriendly to businesses and its residents! They are issuing speeding tickets left and right and chasing people away from coming here."

Let me start by saying I know I complain about city hall a lot on this site. I believe that the leadership we have only focuses on what they want and ignore a lot of other issues unless a small group calls them and the media a lot.

In regards to your prediction Valerie, I for one would welcome the city enforcing laws on the books. I complain a lot about speeders on Clifton during rush hour and was finally given a clear reason why it happens today. I called because there was a cluster of cars that sure appeared to be going over 50mph right in front of my house. I spoke with the officer in charge and was told that radar cannot be used during rush hour because the radar only works from the front to back of a police cruiser so they cannot be parked perpendicular to traffic and they are not allowed to block a lane during rush hour. The only way they can do it is on motorcycles with laser, and I was told not many like to drive them and the one that does was not in today. SO during rush hour go as fast as you want, which is already happening, because the police won't do anything.

I was also told that it is city policy, controlled by the law director, that the police do not ticket unless you are more than 9 mph over the speed limit, so basically we have 3 44 mph streets and the rest are 34 mph streets.

BTW - I really enjoy Woodward now during the less crowded times, it makes me feel more like a race car. Now that I know I can do 34 without worry of a ticket I am going to race around the "calming devices".

Thank you Lakewood Police!

There is a patrol car using my driveway ticketing speeders using a laser gun! He has gotten 2 already, one at 49mph, in less than an hour. He made it sound like they may be using my driveway more during rush hour.

I am sure they will see that having someone do this on a regular basis will not only eventually slow down traffic but it will pay for itself in the meantime due to how many folks are currently speeding since it has gone unchecked for so long.

That's terrific, Ryan! Let's enforce those laws. Now, with the driveway donated for the advancement of vehicular civility, what to do with the basketball hoop...