Snow Zone

Traveling down I-91 from Vermont last Sunday, state police were having a field day nailing speeders. It was the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel as many drivers returning from a weekend of fresh snow, were stopped by cops for exceeding the 65 mph limit.

Those who were pulled over were generally traveling a few miles over 70 mph, not necessarily the insane speeds seen on Connecticut’s own highways.

Massachusetts State Police seemed more aggressive pulling people over, especially the stretch between Greenfield to Deerfield.

It was prime time for picking up some extra revenue as the exodus of skiers and snowboarders headed home. An unscientific count showed seven out of 10 cars traveling south had Connecticut license plates.

Now, I know people should not be speeding, but sometimes it happens and before you know it … bam … a speeding ticket that’s often double the price of a ski lift ticket. So slow down, not only for you and others safety, but for the sake of your wallet.

Having friends – and myself- been stopped or ticketed over the years, I’ve come to know a few speed traps going to and from Ski Country.

So I’m passing some along, not to encourage speeding, but to encourage people to reduce their speed.

They include:

The stretch from the Connecticut/Massachusetts border to Springfield, Mass. A long straight away that’s prime ground for speeding.

Any rest area, weigh station and turnaround on I-91 in Massachusetts. A few years ago during a big snow year, Massachusetts state cops would park besides large snowbanks hidden from view.

A state police barracks near Holyoke will tell you this a likely spot for police radar up through Greenfield.

In Vermont, it doesn’t get any easier. Near the border, it’s prime ground for picking off rich flatlanders.

The secondary roads heading to ski areas, especially Route 103 off exit 6 in Vermont (toward Okemo and Killington) is another area to slow down. The fact that a state police barracks is on the road further proves the point.

Chester, Vermont, especially the area near the Stone Village is notorious. Even a few miles over the 30 mph will not be tolerated. Up the road heading into Ludlow, it’s time to tap on the brakes.

The same deal in Waitsville near Sugarbush and Mad River Glen.

Route 4 in Bridgewater toward Killington is also another warning zone.

And the reason this happens?

Many of the secondary roads- Routes 100, 7, 30, 4 and 103 - in Vermont have 50 mph speed limits, but as they pass through towns highways become village streets with much lower speed limits. That’s the most likely place where you’ll get nailed.

Willmington and Dover are other places to slow down as skiers head up Route 100 to Mount Snow. An article last month in the Deerfield Valley News reported that people were complaining local cops were on the hunt for out-of-state plates. Complaints sent to Wilmington and Dover town halls and the Mount Snow Chamber of Commerce alleged local sheriffs were targeting out-of-state drivers and harassing them  with such minor infractors including driving 1 mile over the speed limit. Read the article here.

USA Today once rated Willmington as the Green Mountain State’s worst town for getting a ticket. Others towns included Barre, Norwich and Island Pond. In 2007 the town of Island Pond in northern Vermont collected 10 percent of its annual budget from parking ticket fines. Details here.

Woodstock is another town to watch your speed. Lots of corners, turns and good spots for local cops to just sit and wait.

On Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, New Hampshire’s I-93 is a like a speedway as Boston skiers and snowboarders head to and from the slopes. And the cops know that too.

New Hampshire towns like Manchester, Nashua, New London and Somersworth are prime towns to get nailed for speeding.

There’s plenty of Web sites where people can post locations of speed traps. These sites, copspy.com,  speedtrap.org  are useful once you get past all the advertising pitches.

But then again if you slowed down, you wouldn’t need advice or help to beat a speeding ticket.