Columbia Heights, Minnesota Speed Traps

Minnesota law requires motorists to yield (move over a lane) to emergency vehicles encountered on the side of the road. These are typically squad cars in the process of a traffic stop.

A few times a week, usually early evenings, Columbia Heights police set up a sting operation where they park a few squads in the northbound shoulder on Central Ave (around 46th street, at the McDonalds). They flip their lights on, and some poor motorist passing by without room or time to move over a lane gets pulled over.

While that motorist is ticketed, another squad car pulls up behind the first and waits for the next motorist to fail to yield (which is almost instantly because Central Avenue is a very busy thoroughfare and often not practical or safe to move over a lane). The process repeats itself, with the two squads leap frogging up and down Central all evening long.

I’ve sat and watched them write up over 40 citations in a two hour period; at $300 a pop, a huge money maker for the City. Lesson learned…always drive in the left lane (if possible) on Central Avenue).