Clear Lake Shores, Texas Speed Traps
FM 2094
The town of 400 homes patrols a one mile stretch of FM 2094 heading towards between Kemah and League City. In my opinion it is the most highly ticketed stretch of road in all of Galveston County. The police are simply generating revenue for the city.
FM 2094 Between Lawrence Road and Hwy. 146 near Kemah
I have lived in the League City, TX area for many years and have to utilize this “speed trap” portion of FM 2094 to get to Kemah, Hwy 146 North or South. Clear Lake Shores is a very tiny community of homes situated in the middle of this speed trap, and it’s little police department do nothing but patrol up and down FM 2094, or better yet, hide in various business parking lots trying to bust people any which way they can to make Clear Lake Shores their money! As I was taking my 16 yr. old to work at Kemah the morning of 7/05/12, I was BUSTED doing 51 in their 40 mph speed zone – that I was fully aware of, and was about to slow down to the proper speed due to the paranoia this speed trap causes most people. Wouldn’t you know? The patrol car was covertly angled in the Szechuan Gardens parking lot, at the beginning of the speed trap, just waiting for his first victim. We there I was! 51 in a 40…………seriously?! We are talking nothing-better-to-do folks. If you are ever on Hwy. 146 in the Kemah area, do your best not to use FM 2094. Go another street South on 146, to FM 518 (you’ll see a Wal-Mart). Go that way if you’re needing to get to League City. Or better yet, go another street south and take Hwy. 96, especially if you live in Tuscan Lakes, South Shore Harbor, Marbella, etc. Clear Lake Shores is a joke and they should be ashamed to call themselves police officers.
Highway 2094
I usually run with a good radar detector. But one morning, my girlfriend tempted me with her turbocharged Volvo. So, I drove it with no detector through Clear Lake Shores. It got away from me as I was contemplating finding some fresh coffee.
These kind folks have a great little money-maker set up in a very short stretch of highway 2094 just outside of Kemah. The area is only about two city blocks long (their jurisdiction). It fronts along a stretch that has a shopping center on the south side (Target and Home Depot with a few smaller stores and fast food restaurants along the street).
At times of heavy traffic (rush hours, for instance) a cruiser is consistantly patrolling back and forth along this stretch (with moving K band radar). Key to their success is that the speed limit in this zone is 40 mph which is 5 mph below the zones that bracket it! They only allow a 10% overage before ticketing. So, if you’re going 45, you’re target ticket material.
One thing to note is that if you do get a ticket, they have "deferred adjudication" as an option. But you have to ask the city clerk about it. It isn’t shown on the ticket. That is like "a prayer for judgement" in some other states. You pay a slightly higher fee to the city clerk directly, and your ticket and record are wiped clean… no report to the state or to your insurer. It isn’t cheap… my ticket for going 55 in the 40 was deferred for a total of $238!
Happy Motoring!
FM 2094 near State Highway 146
Clear Lake Shores is a small town adjacent to Kemah, another major speed trap. There are 3-5 police who seem to be totally focused on radar traps. They will and have issued tickets for 1 mile over the 15 MPH limit! They are discourteous and predatory in behaviour.