Columbia, Missouri Speed Traps

Columbia Police will be concentrating on license plate violations in the month of March 2006. Speed will always be a factor in enforcement.

If you are going west on Stadium towards college, from the bottom of the hill circa Old 63, the cop will sit on the shoulder of either side of the road, both DAY and NIGHT, with all his lights turned off, hard to see. You wont see him until youve crested the hill, and by then, its too late.

This has to be one of the most notorious speed traps in central Missouri. From time to time the Columbia PD will basically set up a giant speed trap (they call it a ‘special enforcement’) along I-70 through town, where the speed limit drops from 70 to 60. Most commonly they will block off a lane on the Providence Road overpass (mile 126) and have one officer up there with laser gun, and several additional squad cars waiting on the onramp to pull over speeders.

Anything that’s speeding, gets a ticket…the local paper usually has a brief the next day, and they’ll commonly write anywhere from 40-100 tickets in the space of a few hours! CPD can and has done this at any time, but be ESPECIALLY cautious around holiday weekends (Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc.). They seem to particularly like to set up shop then, probably because even more out-of-towners than usual are passing through town.

Rock Quarry has three main traps. One is closest to the Grindstone Parkway and Rock Quarry intersection, the entrance to Riback Rd. to the east. The second is the entrance to the new road under construction to the west just north of Riback Rd. The third is located just south of the bridge over Hinkson Creek (if you are going north, this is just as you peak the hill). These traps are used often, since many college students drive this road every day.

Campus police cars often park on the shoulder of westbound Stadium Blvd. between Ashland Gravel Rd. and College Ave. on the west side of the ridge in the road. The police don’t respond unless posted speed(40mph) is exceeded by 10mph. Enforcement is generally during the afternoon rush, but is often at noon and can always be expected when students are entering or leaving town en masse at semesters end or beginning, and holidays.

City police are never seen enforcing the speed limit at this location, only Campus police.

The road is four lanes at this location and can handle speeds approaching 55mph easily.

The best policy is to drive up to the top of the ridge at about 45mph, verify the absence of a patrol car and then accelerate to 50+ in order to catch the College Ave. signal on a green. Alternatively, if a risk-taker is already going 50+ ahead of you, maintain an identical speed as the trailblazer until said person crests the ridge in the road. If the individual doesn’t tap their brakes or visibly reduce speed, then the coast is clear.