A few days ago I received a letter from the Washington, D.C. Police Department (I don't know when emails became the default email format), containing a 0 speeding ticket. I've always gotten a yellow ticket after being caught in the act; this is the first time I've received a ticket in letter form, which is quite interesting.
It was actually quite simple: an explanation of the ticket and an envelope for sending the check. There wasn't much to write about, but after I posted about it on my WeChat Moments, many people said they had similar experiences, so out of curiosity I looked it up online, and it felt like I opened up a whole new world.
The intersection where I was ticketed was DC295 SW .2 mile s/o exit 1 n/b, because I was caught speeding. To avoid being scammed, I checked online to confirm it was a real ticket, but all the results I found looked like this:
Most of the discussion revolves around this magical intersection, and one article even outlines its revenue.
The two cameras on this road account for the top two spots in revenue, more than three times that of the third-place road. It seems this is a lucrative route for the government! So where is this road? Anyone who has lived in DC for a while knows that such a road is impossible in DC, because roads are usually ABCDE or 12345, or various imposing Aves or named Rds. Where is this 295? After much investigation, it is confirmed to be State Highway 295, as shown in the picture. NE and SW are lanes in opposite directions (the fact that this road issues tickets in both directions is quite impressive).
Everyone knows this road is the closest route to Baltimore/New York, and even closer to the University of Maryland. Anyone who's driven this road probably complains about how badly it's in disrepair. So why are there so many toll cameras installed on this road? Hmm…
It's well known that the area east of Washington, D.C., is considered a sensitive region, and people generally try to avoid it. Furthermore, this area belongs to Maryland, so this road is very likely under Maryland's jurisdiction. Maryland has a large number of electronic speed cameras to catch speeding (Virginia doesn't seem to have any), which might provide some clues. Additionally, there are some rumors online, the veracity of which is unknown; you can check them out if you're interested.
In short, be careful when driving on this road; tickets in DC are very expensive. If you have any inside information, please let me know (just leave a comment).
Replenish:
- Only a portion of this road belongs to DC (District of Districts). Judging from the tickets, the driver likely drove into that section. Furthermore, the intersections of several revenue sources are all congested together.
- Judging from the photos provided by the police, the photos were taken on the outermost road... It seems like someone was hiding in a police car on the side of the road to take the photos.
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Original author:Jake Tao,source:"DC295 - Washington's Amazing Road of Tickets"
Comment list (6 items)
Don't drive too fast or exceed the speed limit; some police officers will issue you a traffic ticket, and some will give you a ticket.Criminal fineIf the speed exceeds a certain number of miles per hour, it will become a minor criminal offense!
@anonymous：Thank you! In VA, exceeding 20 miles per hour will result in a mandatory court appearance. The speed limit in that camera-covered area is actually 50 km/h, and exceeding it by 1 mile per hour will result in a ticket.
I used to live in Hyattsville, and I drove 295 every day to DC Water. I never got a speeding ticket. But I guess it's because the areas with cameras are always congested?
@anonymous：Traffic jams are truly their nemesis.
I think those speed cameras are quite obvious... Every time we drive that section, everyone instinctively slows down in front of them. But then again, not speeding is the safest thing to do.
@anonymous：That's true... but that section has a 50 km/h speed limit, while the entire highway is at least 55 km/h, and some parts are even 60 km/h. Given the inertia of high speeds, it's easy to reach over 60 km/h... and the speed in the inner lanes is roughly 60 km/h... it's too easy to get hooked.