EDITORIAL | The Reporter

Highway patrol should ease up on bridge speed traps

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Posted - Friday, October 30, 2009 09:42 AM EDT

We like to think we have a good relationship with the several law enforcement agencies operating in the Keys, but we’re concerned about the Florida Highway Patrol’s speed traps set up on the northbound lane of the Jewfish Creek Bridge.

Leaving the Keys, it’s not unusual to see up to five or six FHP cars and a trooper shooting radar while hiding on the off ramp of the bridge.

We think the FHP does a great job at keeping drivers and pedestrians safe, but we also think the speed traps on the bridge are heavy-handed and could discourage tourists from returning to the Keys.

The ramp does offer an ideal place for a patrol car to monitor traffic, but having several at a time gives the appearance that the FHP is just interested in collecting ticket revenue. And having that many troopers clustered in one spot raises questions about other areas of the Keys being neglected.