Speed Trap Bill Defeated

A bill that would have eliminated speed traps in Michigan went nowhere fast in Lansing.

What the bill would have done was force communities to do engineering studies before they could set speed limits.

This is something already on the books, but never really followed, allowing what one state lawmaker calls speed traps, where speed limits are set too low, allowing city hall to rack up ticket fines.

Grand Ledge Republican Rick Jones said that's the reason why his bill never got traction - too much opposition from communities who didn't want to lose the ticket revenue.

Local governments claim the law is too vague. But state police officials said tickets written on those roads not studied could be thrown out.

Jones is promising to re-introduce his bill.

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