Bennington, Vermont Speed Traps
State Highway 7A Known as old 7 near Basket Barn
Our Bennington County Sheriffs sit in the parking lot of a buisness known as The Basket Barn on Rt. 7A in the town of Sunderland, just south of the tourist town of Manchester. I myself have not gotten any tickets, but known many to have. I have seen at times up to 4 police cars sitting in line to bust speeders.
US Route 7 North (Interstate Section)
This is the same good ole’ Bennington speedtrap, but I’m re-submitting it because they have "tweaked" it some. US 7 northbound is a four-lane, divided highway for a few miles north of Bennington. About a half-mile past Exit 2 (Shaftbury/N. Bennington) there is a median pullout shielded by bushes and up a slight uphill slope. This is one of the most notorious speed traps in the area. It tends to be most active on Fri. nights during ski season, when many out-staters drive through Bennington on their way to the mountains. Last Friday night they had three of our four cruisers up there, along with an unmarked unit, shooting laser in the northbound lanes. The grand total for the three hour sting- 20 tickets of various types. They will sometimes be up there "whenever" but Fri. night is a pretty good bet. Especially now that none of the cruisers have radar guns anymore (yeah!) so these concentrated stings might become more common. Good luck and slow down when you see a sign for "Shaftsbury," until the highway is no longer divided,(only a mile or two) especially if you are from NY,NJ,CT,RI, or MA.
Rt 9 eastbound
New Bennington PD trick- they sit behind a restaurant near a stoplight and get people for running the red. This is mainly done on weekend nights in the winter, when there are lots of people to harrass and exploit. It is right after the Alcaro Dodge/Chrysler dealership, you will not be able to see them until it is too late. They also have K Band radar on, but the angle is wrong to get a hit. I guess its even easier than using a radar gun…
US 7 North, where it is a four lane road
State Troopers and Bennington town police will sit on the median for the several miles US 7 is an interstate north of Bennington. The most notorious spot is right before the only stand of trees on this stretch. Lookout for reflective paint. The limit is 55- pretty normal for VT. You can usually get away with 10 over, maybe 15 with a trooper. The worst times are weekend evenings and such when there are tourists to be nailed.