Spruce Pine, North Carolina Speed Traps
Hwy 226 southbound near Valero station
The police sit at the bottom of a hill in a 45 mph zone. It is impossible to maintain the 45 mph limit going downhill without standing on the brake.
Hwy 226-Burleson Hill just south of Hwy 19E
HP sits in the Ford Dealership parking lot hidden among the cars for sale-hard to see especially at night. This is where the speed limit changes from 35 to 45. Ironically, (and no one has been able to explain this) the speed limit is 35 on the 4 lane stretch coming up the hill, then suddenly changes to 45 as it reduces to 2 lanes and quite narrow and curvy going down the hill (if going south on 226). Careful as the HP will also sit at the bottom of the hill at/near the Valero station on the south side.
I was in a jury pool for a speeding case on Burelson Hill and the ADA actually asked “Is there anyone here who has not gotten a ticket on Burleson Hill?” Then, he proceeded to select the jury and try the case. (I was not selected as my response was that although I had not received a ticket, I already had my mind made up that the motorist was innocent.)
US Highway 226 near 19E Bypass
This is in the city limits at 35mph. Law enforcement parks in the lot of a car dealership so they blend in without being seen until it’s too late.
Hwy. 19-E
Hwy. 19-E coming into either side of Spruce Pine is posted at 55mph on a curvy two lane road, but as it turns into a nice straight 4-lane by-pass, the speed limit needlessly drops to 45mph for about a 3-4 mile stretch. Here the NC Highway Patrol is extremely predatory as well as the local city police units.
Hwy. 226- Burleson Hill through Grassy Creek Area
This is a heavily traveled two-lane road. The NC Highway Patrol is heavy in a 55mph straight for about 1 mile and then as the road approaches Spruce Pine, going down a steep incline, the posted limit is dropped to 35mph and both the city police and the local NC Highway Patrol units, knowing that people will have to apply breaks heavily all the way down (about 1/2 mile)use this are as a "honey hole" to write as many tickets as possible.