Gila Bend, Arizona Speed Traps

Speed through Gila Bend is 35MPH. Exiting the city the speed limit Drops to 30 MPH. No businesses or homes along the highway. SR-85 is entered after coming to a complete stop. The 30MPH speed continues on SR-85 until just past the airport.
I was pulled over at 8:17 PM on Aug 27th. The officer told me I’d been driving between 40 & 45MPH. She spent 25 minutes in her vehicle before returning to my car with a computer generated, printed citation. As she handed it to me she told me she was sighting me for doing 50MPH in a 30. (What?!).
The ticket states: Speed Measurement Device “Other” – Equipment Number “Visual” – Violation “Speed/Reasonable & Prudent”
Since when can an automobile’s speed be determined visually? I challenge that during the day, but even more so on an unlit highway in the dark.
When I protested I was not driving that fast, the Officer’s reply was. “Yes you were. You can go to Traffic School”

Pima Street and Martin, school crosswalk. The crosswalk has three short, 4 foot handtrucks rolled out into the street just before they let the kids out of school at 2:30PM. The collection of signs on the handtruck has a posted speed sign of 15MPH about 2.5feet above the ground. There is no advance warning of this speed reduction, only a pictograph of school kids with the word ‘AHEAD’ below it one block before. The officer sits in an empty lot and picks people off as they move through the intersection. The signs are impossible to see in traffic, or even without traffic, and there is no warning that your speed needs to be reduced before the intersection in question. I was clocked at 26MPH, had no idea I needed to be going 15MPH, and could not have possibly decelerated to 15MPH in time anyway since the first glimpse of them would be in the intersection. I didn’t see them at all because I was looking for children. It will cost me a lot of money and the Maricopa County judge said I should know that in Arizona all school crosswalks are 15MPH unless otherwise posted, therefore I should have started to decelerate to 15 when I saw the pictograph indicating the school crosswalk ahead. I am from California so I could not possibly know this. Even my family members in Arizona had no idea that this was the law.

Just a new post for 2014. Clearly, this is speed trap town collecting revenue. You are essentially going 75 MPH from San Diego for 4 hours straight. Town speed limit drops immediately to 35 MPH and cops just waiting there to pull you over. Nice way to end a weekend getaway in SD.

There are many traps from Buckeye to Ajo and down to Mexico on this state route, mostly because of the location. You’ll encouter DPS cars passing through traffic in regular and low-profile cars all the time. When you get to Gila Bend you’re going to probably meet the newer undercover vehicles. There’s a slick red Mustang with all the aftermarket fittings just waiting for you to try to speed. There’s also a big green suburban and a dark green pickup truck. You’ll never notice them until they light you up in your rear view mirrors.

On your way to Ajo from Gila Bend you’re going to see Border Patrol, DPS and Pima County Sherrif’s deputies all over the place. The ones you have to look out for are the deputies, they are pull-over happy. When you get into Ajo, unless they know your car (small town) you might as well do the speed limit — it’s the Barney Fife syndrome. Just with the deputies you’re going to be greeted by rookie cops 24/7 who are just itching to test out their speeding detectors.

And you’re not going to be alone with just the deputies, either. In Ajo they have the most-advanced ways to get you available and more law enforcement than you’d care to know. There are the deputies, DPS (even a local one), Border Patrol, US Customs, indian reservation police and a slew of pretty much every other federal and state branch imaginable. The worst part of it all is that they can all pull you over for speeding but usually they call the rookie deputies’ dispatch to let them know the make and model of your car. The only way to speed in Ajo is if you just happen to live here.

Department of Public Safety(D.P.S.-Highway Patrol). Regularily patrol 33-mile strip, hiding in locations, known by locals. I feel, the city of Gila Bend, recieves monies from the traps/tickets and D.P.S. I just want to warn Californians and others about this route.