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Deputies Crack Down On Highway 97 Speeders During Traffic Blitz
March 13, 2009
One after another, Escambia deputies cracked down on speeders on Highway 97 in the heart of Walnut Hill Thursday.
Four deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department Traffic Unit conducted the operation, stopping car after car for violating the speed limit. In the 45 mph stretch of Highway 97 at Arthur Brown Road, near Ernest Ward Middle, deputies stopped vehicles traveling over 60 mph.
“The new sheriff has heard the complaints, and we are going to beef up traffic operations in the north part of the county as much as we can,” said ECSO Traffic Unit Sgt. Ray Griffith. “We are going to answer those complaints.”
Many of the North Escambia traffic complaints have centered on Highway 97, known locally for its speeders and the number of traffic crashes. The recent opening of the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore has led to a noticeable increase in traffic on the highway.
“It’s a small area with the school and the other places, it’s almost like a small town,” the sergeant said about Walnut Hill. “People here have a right to feel safe on the highway.”
The Traffic Unit often spends days in Pensacola working traffic in between escorting funerals. But Sheriff David Morgan has directed the unit to crack down on traffic in North Escambia when time allows, make traffic control a priority.
“We will be back,” Griffith said. “This is not the only time you will see us up here. We won’t do it once and forget about it.”
He said the unit plans to do a similar crackdown in Century in near future, and they plan to return to the Walnut Hill area soon.
Thursday afternoon, four marked units were lined up in a driveway just south of Ernest Ward Middle School, partially hidden from northbound traffic by an old building. One after another, the deputies pulled out after speeders.
The location was picked because of its lower 45 mph speed limit near the school.
The tickets being written Thursday were not cheap. Driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone is a $266 ticket. Hit 30 mph over the posted speed limit, and the ticket has no fixed cost. The offender is required to see a judge, and the judge sets the fine amount at his or her discretion.
Pictured top: An Escambia County Deputy on a traffic stop Thursday afternoon on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill. Pictured middle and below: Deputies line up waiting for the next speeder during a traffic blitz on Highway 97 Thursday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Deputies Crack Down On Highway 97 Speeders During Traffic Blitz”
MOM,
WAY TO GO DEPUTYS. JUST DON’T FORGET ARTHUR BROWN ROAD AND
PINE FOREST. THE STOP SIGN AT 97-A AND ARHRUR BROWN IS A DEATH TRAP. THE SIGN IN FRONT OF THE MCCULLOUGH ‘S HOME ON PINE FOREST RD.IS 45 MILES MPH.
SOME ONE WILL REGRET NOT CHAINGING THAT ONE DAY WHEN IT IS TO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ThIs has been reported number of times.Please take it to heart.!!!!
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Hey,when you get a chance…..use our yard on Hwy.99 to catch speeders!!!! Actually,any yard on 99 will get a haul of speeders………and some of these speeders are delivering students to Bratt School!!!! It amazes me to see how many of them will pass me as I am preparing to slow down from the 45 mph to the 25 mph school zone and then slam on brakes in front of me to deliver their child to school!!!!! I work at a school and I can tell you this: if I could,I would stand in the middle of the school zone areas and demand they slow down…….
Thanks ECSO, Lots of problems in Bratt at Coopers store. Kids and a lot of Parents do not pay any attention to the stop sign or flashing light. Most do not even give this stop sign a Hollywood stop or rolling stop. It is not all the kids its just a few that have no respect for anything are property. You can watch people come thru the stop sign with a cell phone glued to there ear.
What would it take to get ECSD to monitor HWY 196? I have seen many accidents in Barrineau Park, ALL due to speeding. Motorcycles think it is their speed strip. I would donate my yard / driveway for them to sit in to catch speeders!!
GREAT! Hey is there any way the Deputies can get in-between Northview and the Bratt store like this? Someone is going to get hurt. Living on Hwy 4 and watching the racing and speeding to get to the store or church in the afternoons from the students is VERY dangerous. I heard they go toward Century the same way. HELP!!!! And please don”t make it a one time thing. PLease.
Thank God!!!! Way to go FHP and ECSO!! I am so thankful for this. I travel Hwy 97 from Molino to Atmore every day. As I work in Atmore. I am so scared to travel Hwy 97 anymore, but the fact is I have to. In the mornings car’s pass me like I am standing still. And I am trying to do the speed limit. As the cars pass me I always wish that there were a police officer to see them. I am so happy, really, that the police officers are going to patrol this area. There have been so many wrecks on this Hwy. And to be honest I am supprised from what all I have seen, that there haven’t been more. Maybe this will make people see that they need to slow down. And not be in so much of a hurry.
Thank you so much ECSO for recognizing the dire need for law enforcement up in the neglected and forgotten about Northend of the county.
I strongly agree with the poster Lois, about the need to have speed checks provided for the West Hwy. 4 travelers. It’s just not the cars/trucks that cause a problem, but also the semi’s and cotton trucks that are also exceeding the speed limit on West Hwy. 4., especially going down the hill before reaching the Canoe Creek and other bridge.
My teenage daughter has been almost rear ended many times just trying to turn into our driveway on W. Hwy 4 and that is with the blinker on way back. Many of these other drivers think they have 5 min. to get from point A to point B OR maybe they just think that driving carelessly and fast makes them cool?
Either way…those trying to drive by the law suffer from thier ignorance and ill-responsibility.
Accidents involving a deer and/or other animals in the roadway cannot be helped most of the time, but driving above the speed limit, driving carelessly while texting and driving intoxicated can be!
There needs to be some action and accountability put in place ASAP! Thx
Way to go!!!! They need to be all over Hwy 97. They don’t call it “Bloody 97″ for nothing. I live down by the “drag strip” (as you come out of the woods north of Dogwood Park) and have NEVER seen anyone pulled over. If you don’t drive 60 – 65 you get passed like your standing still. I have seen many accidents thru this area ( and have responded to them). WAY TO GO AND KEEP IT UP!!!!
Way to go ECSO!!! and FHP!!!!! We are behind you 100%
If any law enforcement folks are reading this…I wish they would pass it on up the line to do something about drivers who will not dim their lights when they see a vehicle coming towards them. Also, when behind another vehicle. Bright lights in ones eyes can blind them to obstacle, markers, etc. Also, there are many senior citizens here whose vision is slightly or not so slightly impaired. Many seniors have cataracts forming, and this can cause lights to appear brighter and distorted. They also can cause slight double vision. Many times I have flashed my lights at those whose brights are on. Many times we forget to dim the lights. But, when someone flashes at them, it is just to remind them. Many will not dim their lights no matter how many times they are flashed. That is callous and dangerous. Bright lights in one’s rear view mirror is very uncomfortable also.
Hwy 4 just east of northview is also dangerous–dropping off hill towards the curved bridge–there are kids playing out here and I have seen two different times of people not stopping when school bus is stopping to pick these kids up but could not get tag # and there is also a sign up that says hidden driveway. there are people passing right at the bridge.
I would love to see the ECSO come on down to the Nokomis Road and 97 area !!!! Maybe when the schools let out and see how many tickets you can write for people running the stop sign off the school bus I get behind several times a week !
Thank you sheriff Morgan, and the ECSO Traffic unit! We are starting to see some changes in the northern part of the county. I know it will take time to get all of the problems addressed and fixed but this is a start. All of those high dollar tickets might help out with an already stressed budget. I am just guessing, but I think leaving one deputy at the walnut station all the time, could be paid for by tickets on highway 97. If the deputies assigned there wrote tickets for even 1 hour a day they could certainly cover their salary and associated expenses, especially if a 60mph ticket in the 45 zone is $266.00
I just wonder if maybe a traffiic light at Arthur Brown rd and Hwy 97 willl ever happen. This is a bad intersection and especially for our kids being on school buses and having to cross. But this is a great start to our traffic problems.
Thank You to the Sheriff and all the officiers.
I’m glad to see this also, I only hope they work Hwy 97, on Sunday Afternoon when the Motorcycles ride between 4 -6 P.M. wide open passing on double lines weaving in between cars. I will be glad to let them sit in our yard and feed them lunch just to stop the speeders. My hats off to the Law Officers also. Great Job for each speeder caught might save a life.
I agree this is a good thing. Good work guys, thank you!
Way to go ECSO.
I’m glad to see this happening– Hwy 97 is a dangerous road because of speeders and tailgaters that are just waiting to fly around a car in order to pass. My hats off to the law officiers!