Bella Vista, Arkansas Speed Traps

Local PD is using the small unoccupied circles off of Hampstead to clock oncoming drivers both ways. First circle off of the 71 on the right, two circles another quarter mile east on left side just past Overton. Speed limit is 30, have passed their stakeout doing near 40 and not been stopped but not recommending that.

The Bella Vista Police department, has recently became very aggressive in raising revenue for the new city of Bella Vista. They primarily patrol the backroads, Trafalgar, Riordan etc, leaving the highway to the Sheriff and state police due to the Arkansas speed trap laws that prevent them from raising more than 30% of city revenue with citations on a highway.

Now that Bella Vista is a municipality the city PD is aggressively working radar from Tralager to CR 40-both directions in the early AM hours. Officer will sit in Nunnelly Chev. parking lot @ US 71 & Dartmoor. Speed limit is 45MPH but @ that hour it’s easy to be traveling faster.

1/2008

I was surprised to see that Bella Vista was not already included in the listings. I suppose it is not a typical speed trap town because they have no local police. (The "town" is actully a POA.) However, it is a retirement community situated on a business highway between two interstate highways. The county sheriff fields all of the complaints from the retirees and sets up traps, usually during daylight hours so the compaintants can see the results before their 5PM bedtime. Sometimes they will just park an empty car in a location to discourage speeding. They have even been known to put dummies behind the wheel to make it look like the road is being actively monitored! Don’t be surprised by a living, breathing dummy pulling you over and writing you a ticket! (The switcheroo!) The posted limits are well below what the divided highway can accommodate and will likely remain that way until the long overdue bypass is constructed.

Northbound on US-71 the freeway speed is 70, then reduces to 55 then 45. Truck Drivers cant slow down fast enough to meet the speed limit.