quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
The article states that 17 parked patrol vehicles have been struck in construction zones. I think this is less about construction worker safety than people getting mesmerized by police cars and driving into them.

Nope. What she said was, “This year 19 IL state police cars have been hit, 17 of those cars were pulled over on the side of the road. <The?> laws says drivers must pull over for any vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights.”

Nowhere in here monologue does she say those cars are hit in a construction zone, she just leaves the reader who isn’t very careful to infer it. Probably many ? most of those cars weren’t in construction zones, but were just pulled over writing a ticket or doing paperwork.

quote:

most of those cars weren’t in construction zones, but were just pulled over writing a ticket or doing paperwork.

I'll go out on a limb and suggest that none of the cars hit had anything to do with a construction zone unless they may have happened to be there dealing with an accident.

As far as the lights go, I also agree. Many eons ago I was in the towing business so I know from first hand experience what it's like working on a highway with traffic moving by. The brighter the lights, the more one has to look away. The more one is looking away the more likely they are to be driving towards something they don't intend to drive towards.

It also completely prevents you from seeing what or who is moving directly around the vehicle with the bright lights. Might be good to prevent a shooter from aiming at you, but not so great when you want a driver to be aware of who or what is on or near the roadway.

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:
Revenuers of all colors should be done away with.

...[snip]...

Total impacted drivers 120 drivers over the course of that 10 hour shift.

Totally agree with your revenuers point, but don’t agree with your math. Many folks who see the people pulled over getting tickets will notice.

Around here, folks throw out the anchor when they see the flashing lights, but once they are out of sight of the parked “warning” officer, some of them ramp right back up.

As much as I don’t like the revenuers, I wouldn’t have a gripe with putting the warning car in front, then having the revenuers pickup those who speed back up. “Yes, there actually are teeth.” If this happened occasionally, the “warning” cars would be taken more seriously.

I get why the agencies don’t want to do it though. They’d have the increased cost of someone just sitting in the “warning” car and (hopefully) reduced revenue.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:

quote:

"It's not about writing tickets," Illinois State Trooper Jason Wilson said. "It's not about pulling people over, it's about keeping people safe."

Horseshit. If that were the case, they'd put a marked unit with the blues on at the entry point to the construction zone, and another one half way through the construction zone. Bust anyone who doesn't get the message. If you are wearing disguises and hiding the cars, you are revenuers, not public safety guardians.

I agree to a point. The problem is your cant have two police cars (on overtime pay) sitting on every construction area. People know the police car blocked in by orange cones and barrels is not running speed nor could pull out in a hurry.

Majority of the time highway construction zones are blocked off with concrete dividers. These should not be considered construction zones. I feel there is more of problem with small short term construction areas.

Everyone who gets a driver license should have to direct traffic in a construction zone for a few hours. Then you will know how it feels as a car zips past you at 40 mph two feet away.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Everyone who gets a driver license should have to direct traffic in a construction zone for a few hours. Then you will know how it feels as a car zips past you at 40 mph two feet away.

What other mandatory life experiences should the gubbiment enforce...?

quote:

Everyone who gets a driver license should have to direct traffic in a construction zone for a few hours. Then you will know how it feels as a car zips past you at 40 mph two feet away.

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How about pay the 375 dollar ticket or direct traffic in construction zone. I would go for that.

FHP did this in Florida many years ago(maybe 90"s). The only detail that I remember was that the new FHP Commander was from Illinois and put the construction detail to work here. After reading the article, I actually witnessed the construction setup on I95 just south of Jacksonville.

This is BS. Illinois has these low speed construction zones all over the place for miles and miles with no one working in them for weeks/months at a time. People don't mind slowing down when they actually see workers but 90 percent of the time you son't see any workers around here.

the earlier comment about follow the money is bang on

its got nothing to do with safety - the state doesn't give a shit about safety

what it wants is whats left your money and they will fabricate lies and trickery to get it

the cops should be ashamed of themselves

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1:
This is BS. Illinois has these low speed construction zones all over the place for miles and miles with no one working in them for weeks/months at a time. People don't mind slowing down when they actually see workers but 90 percent of the time you son't see any workers around here.

+1

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Here on the Gulf Coast there are signs that say fines are doubled in Construction Zones, WHEN WORKERS ARE PRESENT.

I am considering a North Coast to South Coast road trip to visit my kid in NOLA this fall. Whatever route I choose, it wont include Illinois.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I am considering a North Coast to South Coast road trip to visit my kid in NOLA this fall. Whatever route I choose, it wont include Illinois.

Why? Aren't you they guy who would stick his face in peoples cars if they had a radar detector and say WHAT IS THAT?

Don't break the law and you've got nothing to worry about, right???

I am all for this type of enforcement.

This is coming from one of those guys who doesn't really do anything inside of those construction zones but somehow manages to have a close call or two every week and still manages to get things done.

Truthfully we just put up all the orange shit, flashing sign boards and those type III barriers so numb fucks can get pissed off at the lack of activity when they happen to drive by; really, not a single thing happens inside those zones, trust me, nothing.

Don't like police trolling a construction zone? Then pay attention and don't speed. How hard is that?

Yep, I did that with the Radar Detector folks.
But I did not do it in a construction site.
And I tend to avoid anti 2A states. The construction zone operation is more incentive to cruise elsewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by Expat:
Don't like police trolling a construction zone? Then pay attention and don't speed. How hard is that?

The fact is the undercover bullshit does not slow traffic but it does collect revenue. If the goal is safety post an officer with a cruiser and lights before the site. Not all drivers are perfect like you. The goal of public safety is to protect the construction workers.

I don’t know how it’s done elsewhere in the country but around here construction is not an overtime deal. It’s a detail at a contractual rate backfilled by the contractor and written into the bid.

I think it Is a good way for a police officer to get shot. Getting pulled over in a construction zone by blue lights, expecting a uniformed police officer and have a "construction worker" walk up to your car. I think this would freak LOTS of people out from a personal safety factor.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
I think it Is a good way for a police officer to get shot. Getting pulled over in a construction zone by blue lights, expecting a uniformed police officer and have a "construction worker" walk up to your car. I think this would freak LOTS of people out from a personal safety factor.

Nobody’s getting pulled over by a guy in a yellow vest and hardhat driving an asphalt roller. It clearly says the detail consists of one observation trooper and three enforcement troopers. The cop dressed like a member of the road work crew calls in the plate and description of offenders and uniformed guys in marked cars waiting just beyond effect the stops.

If the goal is to slow cars down in the construction zone simply have someone post on Waze that there is a speed trap.

One guy using Waze will slow everyone down behind him in a construction zone.

No need to even have a police car posted there.

quote:

Nobody’s getting pulled over by a guy in a yellow vest and hardhat driving an asphalt roller.

We had a mounted officer that like to hang out in a local park at the bottom of a big hill. He had a portable radar gun in a saddle bag, would catch them speeding half way down the hill, and would step his horse out into the lane of traffic to pull them over. True story.