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Do I have a chance of beating this speeding ticket?

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Y

Yorn

Guest
What is the name of your state? Massachusetts

According to http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/speed/MassHighway/manual.html, a road in Massachusetts must have an engineering study done on it before a speed limit is posted.

Earlier this week I got caught doing 75 in a 50 MPH zone, on I-290. According to http://www.motorists.org/ma/s.html :

"The 50 MPH speed limit on I-290 in Worcester followed an accident when a truck driver fell asleep. The speed limit had been 55 for decades. The reduction was due to pressure to "do something" following the accident. These days the 85th percentile speed is 64 MPH, so a speed limit below 60 can not be justified."

I was cited for MGL 90.18, which is for posted roadways. According to that motorists.org site, I-290 is improperly posted.

If I went to a hearing, is there any chance that I could cite the MUTCD, present a copy of the MassHighway manual which supposedly claims that a road must have an engineering study done on it before a limit is posted, as well as a written letter on any existing engineering study which contridicts the 50 MPH limit...and get the ticket removed?

Its my first speeding ticket, and I want to know if its worth it to contest.
 
Last edited:


HomeGuru

Senior Member
Yorn said:
What is the name of your state? Massachusetts

According to http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/speed/MassHighway/manual.html, a road in Massachusetts must have an engineering study done on it before a speed limit is posted.

Earlier this week I got caught doing 75 in a 50 MPH zone, on I-290. According to http://www.motorists.org/ma/s.html :

"The 50 MPH speed limit on I-290 in Worcester followed an accident when a truck driver fell asleep. The speed limit had been 55 for decades. The reduction was due to pressure to "do something" following the accident. These days the 85th percentile speed is 64 MPH, so a speed limit below 60 can not be justified."

I was cited for MGL 90.18, which is for posted roadways. According to that motorists.org site, I-290 is improperly posted.

If I went to a hearing, is there any chance that I could cite the MUTCD, present a copy of the MassHighway manual which supposedly claims that a road must have an engineering study done on it before a limit is posted, as well as a written letter on any existing engineering study which contridicts the 50 MPH limit...and get the ticket removed?

Its my first speeding ticket, and I want to know if its worth it to contest.
**A: try it and post back.
 

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