Entrapment: the act of a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offense which would be illegal and the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit.
Country Hills Blvd NE (east of the deerfoot) is undergoing construction, and has been for many months.
I am guessing they have had some problems with speeders whipping through their construction zone, so today they decided to set up speed cameras.
Country Hills Blvd is normally a 80km zone. For the purposes of construction they have posted a 50km sign about 50 yards out from the guys holding the "SLOW" / "STOP" signs.
Today I was driving along, in the 80km zone, approaching the 50km sign and a cop walked out in the middle of the street next to the construction guys with the traffic signs, pointing me over to the side of the road.
I pull over and he says "You were going a bit fast for a 50 zone. I got you doing 70". My issue here is that he is literally standing AT the 50km sign and in front of the "Construction Ahead" sign.
(Yes, I grabbed a camera and circled back again the second I got home). His radar is set up pointing between the grace period given to reduce your speed from 80km to 50km and I was ticketed $280.00 for doing 70, mid-way between working my speed down from 80 to 50. After receiving the ticket, 2 minutes from my driveway, I went back to get shots from all angles to prove how ridiculous of a setup this is.
If he is THAT close to the 50km sign, his radar is pointed in the grace zone that is in place to allow you to reduce your speed to the 50km by the time you're IN THE 50km ZONE. By the time I made it to the sign, he was out in the middle of the road pointing me over to the side.
I had my girlfriend, both parents (visiting - now thinks Calgary Police is a joke) and my dog aboard. The space given (according to his radar, about 50 yards, MAX) is considerably insufficient to drop your speed by 30km/hr without stomping the brakes and jolting people around in your vehicle. My dog would have went flying!
I am fighting not only this ticket, but this bullshit set up that allows ZERO grace period to reduce your speed.
$280 ticket for doing 70 in the few yards between 80km/hr and 50km/hr zone. Whether my ticket is pardoned or not, I'm giving this set up hell. TV/Radio programs love this kind of bullshit by police.
Sidenote: Best part is, I can see this guy from the back window of my house. I drive a H3 and within 20 minutes of returning home from taking my pictures, he pulled over 2 other H3's (both black). IF YOU WERE ONE OF THEM / KNOW ONE OF THEM - please let me know. (Opinion: All pissed off at Hummers, so he's pulling over each one that passes? *cough cough* PROFILING *cough*)