This is a daily speed trap - they will be there all hours!!!

Int 295 Hopewell, Va between Appomattox River bridge and State route 36, Hopewell/Ft Lee exit is known as :"The Yankee Speed Trap." Cops are out here EVERY day, all day,and at night also in both North and South bound lanes. I travel this stretch almost every day and see someone stopped or getting stopped, or the cops sitting there waiting for their next "fish."almost every time I'm going through.

I got caught speeding in this area last month and was ticketed. I wouldn't call it a "trap" at all. They sit alongside the roadway and the speed is adequately posted. It's my own damn fault for going well over the limit just so I could get where I wanted to go (Florida!!) sooner. My opinion of a trap would be where the limit drops suddenly and they are right there waiting before you have an opportunity to slow, or they post a nice flat stretch of open road at a slower speed for no reason other than to saturate it for ticket revenue. What shocked me is if you're going over 80, even in a 70 zone, it's a Misdemeanor charge. So 11 MPH over the limit in a 65 MPH zone isn't, but 81 in a 70 is. My speed was 81. I couldn't just plea by mail to that because my state would probably suspend my license so I had to get an attorney in that area to get it reduced. But still, my fault and not because they singled me out because of my license plates. It's because I was the fastest moving thing out there and I know it.

This is definitely a speed trap. It's ridiculous to argue otherwise. Keep in mind that speed limits were originally set for fuel economy, not safety. This stretch of road is a lightly used, three-lane highway and a there is no reason why you couldn't safely go faster than 70. Pohpoh sits there 24/7, plus it's the only area in VA I've seen where sheriff's pull you over too. And guess who is paying for those shiny new Dodge Chargers that they use?????? Not one of them is older than a year or two. Thank god I don't live in Hopewell. It's probably a haven for criminals since the police are more worried about generating revenue.

The shiny new Dodge Chargers are owned and operated by Sheriffs Dept, not the Police Department. Call it what you want, but their only job is speed enforcement on that mile stretch of I-295.

I was passing thru VA two weeks ago and got a 'reckless by speeding' ticket at this speed trap. My first ticket in over twenty years. Just driving down an almost empty freeway. Within a week I was beseiged by an army of lawyers offerring to help me fight it. Amazing. The number of lawyers looking for business from the Hopewell speed traps certainly is a good indication of what a good business this is for the local government. And I was shocked to discover that the fines are higher for speeding in a 70 mph zone are higher for the same speed in a 65 mph zone. Since the only 70 mph zones for the Hopewell jurisdiction are the Interstate, it appears that interstate traffic is being targeted since it is much easier to get guilty pleas by mail from folks who live too far away to make it reasonable to come to traffic court in Hopewell. All perfectly legal. But it's abuses like this that cause citizens to mistrust goverment.

There are not many areas along Major roads like this where you see local agencies doing speed traps. To see state troopers is one thing but a local agency. I would hope that they would be available for issues closer to home if you know what I mean. Troopers do major roadways not a town sheriffs office. They should be handling crime within the community as you will find in most areas of this country. It is 100% about the money that is why they drop these tickets to things like broken taillight. They still get their fine and now the attorney's get some cash too. BOYCOTT Hopewell. don't eat, shop, get gas or sleep in a hotel. Lets see if the businesses will support their sheriff.