At the end of Main Street in Lyons, where 66 intersects with highways 7 and 36. I turned left onto highway 7, crossed a bridge about 150 yards from the stop sign I’d just left, and had an officer turn on his lights to pull me over. The officer said he had me clocked at 48 mph in a 25 mph zone. No way I was at that speed when I reached that bridge and I said that to the officer. I also mentioned that I didn’t know the speed limit was 25 mph in that area. There’s no sidewalks, schools or businesses in the area. The officer said there were 2 signs noting the speed limit.
I later returned to Lyons to verify that, and there is a 25 mph sign at the intersection of 66, 7 and 36. As you head further South on 7, there is a second 25 mph sign, but it’s hidden by trees until you are across the bridge. By that time, the officer already had his lights on , pulling me over.
The officer was parked at Prospect street, monitoring traffic heading out of town. He was roughly 50 yards from where the speed limit increases as you leave town.
I was issued a citation for driving 48 mph in a 25 mph. This citation would have resulted in 6 points being added to my license and a $180 fine. I had out of state plates and an out of state drivers license. The officer told me “since you’re from out of town, you probably can’t attend the court date. The instructions for mailing in the fine are on the back of the ticket”. Obviously the officer looked at an out of state driver as an easy target who wouldn’t challenge the citation.
This is all about generating revenue for the town of Lyons. Lyons doesn’t have its own police force and contracts with the county of Boulder for its law enforcement.
It appears that the Boulder County officers are trying to generate as much revenue as possible through citations, to show the town of Lyons that they are profiting from this relationship.