Salt Lake City, Utah Speed Traps

At the bottom of the hill where there is a sharp left turn a policeman hunkers down with his speed gun behind a low wall. If you go over the 25 mph limit, he jumps up and flags you down. The hill is so steep you have to constantly brake to keep within the 25 mph limit.

I live on Parleys Canyon Blvd (the North side of the 20th East, I-80, underpass… also known as the “SL Country Club Gully”), and have witnessed motorcycle cops busting drivers (especially during the AM commute) not only from Parleys Canyon Blvd but also from Stratford Ave (the South side of the gully). The speed limit is posted at 35 but it’s easy to exceed that because of the steep decline from both sides. It’s tough to see the cops until it’s too late (and they use trigger Laser) so a radar detector isn’t much help – trust me, personal experience.

Police wait in several hidey-holes along the canyon road, targeting drivers going down the canyon. Because the grade is so steep, you have a hard time getting enough engine braking to stay below the 40-45mph limits. So, you’re left with the choice of smoking your brakes or picking up tickets. A nice easy billet for Salt Lake County PD and always nice to have my tax dollars working against me.

Speed drops from 30mph to 10mph. Cop sits in traffic but you do not pay attention to him or her because you are trying to return your rental car in an unfamiliar area. You attempt to obey laws but a sign blocked by a tree drops the speed from 30mph to 10mph and the next thing you know you are being pulled over even though you are going slower then the flow of traffic. There is also a painted on the road sign but no one is doing 10mph so if you are looking up at the signs for rental return, it is easy to miss. The police only seem to get the drivers going into rental return…I guess out of state drivers are less likely to cause problems with their quotas

This one’s been posted before but incorrectly named. 2-3 motor squad units and occasionally 1-2 police cars, especially in the afternoons and early evenings when there’s an event at the EnergySolutions Arena. Posted limit is 30 MPH. I’ve lived in the area for 30+ years and the speed limit on 400 West was 40 MPH until late 2001 when the new I-15 600 North offramp onto 400 West was completed. The speed limit remains 40 MPH north of the offramp where there’s very little traffic. This is a high crime area and the city should be using dept. resources to fight personal and property crime in the area rather than running a speed trap.