OHTA.ca

Well my labor day weekend did not end on a positive note.

I received my first speeding ticket ever, the result of passing a series of vehicles in a dedicated 2km passing stretch of Hwy 17E near Pembroke. I had passed four vehicles, two of which were pulling trailers, merged back into the rightmost lane, and had pulled out to pass a 5th vehicle when I was signaled to the side of the road.

This was the product of a speed trap set up nabbing people in a passing zone while going downhill. When I asked, the officer said I was going 137 in the passing lane, and 133 in the "slow lane", presumably as I was preparing to overtake the final vehicle.

I've been driving for 13 years with a flawless record and am reasonable with my speed. This is particularly frustrating as I had been driving ~100 with the flow of traffic for the duration of my trip.

As I have no experience with these matters, I will be seeking legal assistance in the matter, but any advice is welcome.

It's just the way traffic enforcement is these days. It wasn't that long ago that passing other vehicles was considered part of normal driving and the associated speed increase was tolerated.

All bets are off these days. The McGuinty government can't keep its own financial house in order, so it convinces the general public that speeders are evil (even if just for a brief pass) and deserve to fork over their hard earned cash.

No tracking history is done. Flow of traffic is not a factor. Just various high-tech electronic gadgets poppin' up nasty numbers pegging you as some sort of threat to the masses.