Greenville, South Carolina Speed Traps

The most common speed trap is a patrol car hiding on the exit ramp behind some large bushes while detecting vehicle speeds. The other way is an airplane detects speed and patrol car waits for the accused speeder to get in view and then stops them. The airplane is a fairly new technique, but cars were being pulled over left and right!

Lately a traffic officer has been present in the partially blocked-off entrance of the (old) Greenville Mall. This would be on the left if you are traveling from Roper Mountain Road, just as you come up that hill. If you’re coming on Woodruff from the direction of I-85, the entrance is on your right.
The posted limit is 35mph. Rush hour traffic is often moving greater than the posted limit.

At the bottom of a long hill after crossing the bridge over I-85, an officer will hide behind bushes and entrance sign to a business on the left side of the road. This trap only applies to traffic traveling towards Pelham Rd. The posted speed is 35MPH in this mainly industrial area which is a good route to avoid Pelham Rd. traffic. The officer will step out into the road and wave you over.

There is an officer on the curb set up so that when you round the curve on Augusta Street at E. Tallulah Drive (going in towards the city), you’re instantly hit with radar. The officer on the curb motions vehicles off to E. Tallulah Drive where more officers are waiting to write citations. The most disturbing part of this setup is the fact that I’ve seen the radar wielding officer step out into the street in an attempt to stop cars! This practice causes drivers to react very unexpectedly and has nearly precipitated accidents.

This is a four-lane limited access highway, similar to an interstate. On the North Carolina side the speed limit is 65 mph, but it drops to 55 mph on the South Carolina side. Tickets are taken 40 miles away in Taylors, SC. There is a closer magistrate’s office, but they still take them farther away. Enforcement is typically by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The road is at a slight elevation that makes it easier for the police to hide.