Santa Cruz, California Speed Traps

As motorists have increasingly used Rodguigez Street as a short-cut to bypass Soquel Ave traffic, authorities have stepped up enforcement, hiding in the Discovery Zone day care center parking lot, citing rush-hour speeding commuters.

Southbound on the Shoreline way towards Santa Cruz, the California Highway Patrol has seriously set up shop. In the 5-7 miles north of civilization on the highway, the CHP is present on bikes and in cruisers, using instant-on Ka-band radar to nab offenders. Safe speeds and the speeds of freeflowing traffic vary considerably along this stretch, and the CHP likes to set traps in downhill stretches of road and around sharp corners. Be careful.

The section of Bay street between Mission and High, to and from the University is a notorious speed trap. I’m suprised it isn’t on here yet. The 30 mph speed limit is still well under what is safe for the non residential section closer to the university. (It was 25, but 40-45 would be more appropriate) SCPD cruisers and motorcyles like to hide in the center median trees or in the center median turn out to catch uphill traffic. Motorcycle cops like to hang out on the side streets at the bottom of the hill to catch downhill traffic when it turns into a residential area.

3 stops intersection, cops are hidden in the field across Brommer, where Boats are stored.

whatch out even after midnight !

Frequent CHP activity between Wilder Ranch and the road to the Santa Cruz dump. Highway 1 has passing lanes in both directions here so it is tempting to speed up. Airplanes are rare.