Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Speed Traps

Silver Spring Township Police run VASCAR/stopwatch method, on Route 944 from the parking lot of EDS car sales, which is normally empty. Another VASCAR trap is located an 1/8th of a mile away where the landscaping business is on one side and the trailer park is on the other side. The trap is in the dip between the two hills. Look for silver crown victorias, in both cases.

On South Market Street just inside the Mechanicsburg/Upper Allen Township line a borough officer, usually in an unmarked, silver Ford Explorer Sport Trac SUV (basically looks like an Explorer with a pickup truck back) will sit on the sidestreet right beside the Immanuel Baptist Church. The speed limit changes from 35 mph outside the borough to 25 at the borough line, and borough police usually get a good haul every time they station there..usually once or twice a month. Often park during rush/school hours to pull over speeding teenagers. Sometimes the Sport Trac or a standard marked car will park up the street, more towards Market and Elmwood, again looking for cars to not catch the speed limit change entering town. Again, if you see the Silver Ford Truck, beware!

Coming into Mechanisburg from Silver Spring Rd (it turns into Walnut St) the speed limit is 45, but drops to 25 by Northside Elementary school. Easily 10 people are pulled over a day. This goes for both heading into and leaving town.

Lower Allen police use similar tactics to the ones described in the Upper Allen Township speed trap listing.

The two main traps they have been using a lot lately are two sets of white hash marks (not lines, but painted blocks): one just after the rossmoyne exit bridge going north on 15, and the other just before the next onramp after that.

For the trap near the bridge, the officer will sit way up on the onramp, up near the beginning of the entrance. He will use VASCAR to clock your speed between the white blocks. Look over your shoulder right after you pass the bridge and you should be able to see him and easily adjust your speed in time, provided you are not speeding excessively.

The trap shortly down the road is the same way; the officer will sit behind the trees that block the view from the road to the onramp. Look over your shoulder just before you hit the first white blocks and you will be able to see him if he is there; slow to 55 or less (to average 55 between the blocks) if he is there.

The lower allen police and the upper allen police (closer to Dillsburg) all use similar tactics along 15. Just look out for the white lines and hash marks and adjust your speed accordingly.

This area is well known for being a speed trap. The cops that patrol 15 probably rack in a lot of money for the township. They could better invest their time in other matters.

The trap is on a hill, meaning that you generally be traveling above the speed limit due to downhill acceleration. The police exploit the fact that you will probably not adjust your speed for the incline of the hill.