State Highway 60 near State Route 32

Quemado, New MexicoOct 12, 20073 Comments

I’m from out of state. I was driving the posted speed limit of 55 when I saw the 35 mph sign. I let off of the gas and started to brake. The blue lights came on within 2 seconds. As a retired law enforcement officer, I recognize a speed trap that has the sole purpose of raising money for a small town. I would be embarrassed to make my living this way.

Comments:
This is not a speed trap and there is no 35 mph sign. The speeds are posted according to law at 65 mph then 55 mph then 45 mph then 30 mph as you enter the village of Quemado. Every month hundreds of drivers disregard the posted speeds and wrecklessly drive through our small Village. All revenue from speeding tickets goes to the State of New Mexico, none goes to our village.
#1Dec 18, 2009Report Abuse
Each of the three town along this part of high way 60 have red flage mounted on the signs warning that the speed limit is about to decrease, two on each sign. It is one of the few places in the country you will see this. Folks we all dislike "Speed Traps". I used to live in the next little hamlet to the east of Quamato, called Pie Town. We had no cop shop, no crime, etc. You get the idea, Quemado, Pie Town and Dattle (farther east) from a kind of family between all the people residing there. It is a most frendly place and the folks will wave at you along the highway (US 60) no matter if they now you or not. In Fact the police will wave at you as they pass and when speeding they will tell you to slow down as they pass you on the highway, (sometimes fliping on the lights and always using the hand in a "pumping down" motion, with the palm down). The state police can be a different story. The local statie, who lives in Quamdo is very fair, however the road uust to the east of quamado is used to train new state police and you will not get any breaks there. If you are headed west you will notice the speed limit sign changes just over a hill near the bottom on the west side. People speeding tend to roll down this little hill at high speed if already speeding, but, again the warning sign about the reduction in speed has two red flage on top of the sign. Very difficult to miss. If you dislike life in a police state then new Mexico is the place for you and Quamado, Pie Town and Dattle are where you should think about living. The next towm to the east, Magdalana (east of the VLA) is also a good choice. Larry the Chief of Police is a great guy and will go out of his way to help you, nor does he opperate speed traps. In all my time living along this section of US 60 I have never seen a speed trap, but, have seen many out of state drivers who ignor the speed limits and the warning flags on top of them. The worst of the outsiders, are the drivers from California, who drive like they are on the L.A. freeway system. If you break down along this section of highway, be assured a local will stop to assist you.
#2Jul 06, 2010Report Abuse
Not surprised locals are defending this speed trap. The 2007 driver has a few facts wrong about the speed limits. As you approach, you're cruising along at 65mph. Almost instantly it drops to 55mph. Within seconds, it's 45mph and then quickly 30mph. Unless you literally SLAM on your brakes, there's no way to get down to 30mph by the time your car reaches that sign. Right there, AT THE SIGN, is a cop waiting with a radar gun and if you're over 30mph AT the sign, he pulls you over. I know, because it happened to me. Yes, I saw the warnings, so I began pumping the brakes, thinking it would be a gradual slowing down. Instead, it's an unreasonable and unrealistic quick drop. When I reached the 45mph sign, I was still slowing down. Then all of a sudden there's a 30mph! Physically impossible based on the distance between the signs and the speed. They should spread the signs out further up the hill so that by the time you reach "town" (blink and you'll miss it), you are doing 30mph. I was braking. I was decelerating. In fact, I had to slow down considerably because I had a turn approaching. I was not flying through town. He put the lights on immediately. He asked me if I saw him. I said no. When I drive, I'm watching the road, watching the signs, etc. I was focused on glancing down at my speedometer to make sure I was slowing down with each posted sign. This was a scenario where a "warning" would've been appropriate. They target cars that are from out-of-state because it's revenue. And cops have a quota. In this town, there's probably not much going on. But that's no excuse for this flagrant abuse. This is 100% a speed trap. They've set it up so that it's IMPOSSIBLE to comply with the signs as they are currently placed. It was my first ticket since 1977. Then adding insult to injury, the officer wouldn't just issue a warning. He made it a "pay or go to court" scenario. I am sure that if I didn't have out-of-state plates, he wouldn't have done anything. I'm fighting it.
#3Oct 01, 2023Report Abuse

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