Tempe, Arizona Speed Traps

Tempe PD has de-emphasized use of the photo van, and has begun tossing up more actual, officer-manned traps throughout the city. If you’re near a school zone, expect to see an officer parked on a side street running radar–school zones in Tempe are 35 MPH *at all times*, and a ticket in one counts as a school zone violation, even if it’s the middle of the night in July. I’ve seen people blow past these traps at 10 over, and I’ve seen people near me pulled for going 5 over. It really depends on the officer–and how close it is to the end of the month.

This speed limit is deceivingly slow at 35 mph (feels like it should be 45). There’s a motorcycle cop on the north side of the street east of Terrace.

Motor Cycle Cops in the running radar in the driveway of 2 apartment buildings on Hardy between the canal and the us 60 bridge. Speed limit is 30 miles per hour. They like to pull you over in the cul-du-sac on the north side of the 60 bridge.

A cop will regularly park in the church parking lot, located just north of the US-60 on Rural Rd. They like to park there to catch speeders and those turning right on the red light when coming off of the US-60. They are barely visible behind trees and signs in the parking lot.

Photo radar van is out enforcing a BS construction zone on Kyrene. There is construction, yeah, but it’s poorly marked, the zone extends far beyond the actual construction site, and the speed limit drops from 45 to 35 to 25 almost instantly with little warning. Also no indication of when the 45 speed resumes–even if you’re past all the equipment, stay at 25 until you see a sign indicating otherwise. Photo van is commonly out there hidden off the side of the road, but I have seen a marked car sitting out of view on a side street running Ka band.