PITTSBURGH,None — Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle obtained the state data for all speeding tickets written in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Beaver, Butler and Washington Counties last year.
Earle and Target 11 Producer Mary Anne Vandevelde broke down the numbers and determined the top ten speed traps in our area.
One of them is McCoy Road in Stowe Township. Seventy-nine-year-old Ernie Ricci recently received a speeding ticket for allegedly going 42 miles per hour in a 25 zone. Ricci told Earle that he wasn't speeding and he's not happy about it. He said he plans to go to court to fight the ticket. He claimed he was only going 25 miles per hour, when he passed the officer, who is hidden in a grove of trees along the side of McCoy Road.
"When I passed in front of him I was going 25. I don't lie. There's no reason for me to lie. Like I told the officer if I was speeding I'd accept your ticket and wouldn't say a word because there's no reason for me to argue. When I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But when I passed in front of him I was going 25 miles per hour," said Ricci.
McCoy Road is one of the top speed traps in the area, and Stowe Township Police Chief Frank Marciw defended the high number of tickets.
"We had a problem with people speeding on McCoy Road and the commissioners actually came to me and said we had to do something to correct the problem. I believe it's helped us from having a serious accident or somebody being killed," said Marciw, who hired the same officer who used to run the speed trap on Route 65 in Kilbuck Township.
Stanton Avenue in Pittsburgh is another top speed trap and neighbors said the sight of police officers pulling over speeders is a welcome addition. Police issued 400 tickets to drivers on Stanton Ave. just last year.
"People fly up and down this street everyday. A lady up the street had a petition commending the officer for what he does," said Stanton Avenue resident Amanda Miller.
Here is the list of the top ten speed traps in our area:
10) Route 8, Butler, 227 tickets
9) Perry Highway, McCandless, 301 tickets
8) Rt. 8, Middlsex Twp., Butler County, 328 tickets
7) Stanton Avenue, Pittsburgh, 400 tickets
6) Bebout Rd., Peters Twp., Washington County, 493 tickets
5) University Blvd., Moon Twp., 529 tickets
4) Banksville Rd., Pittsburgh, 566 tickets
3) West Carson St. Pittsburgh, 654 tickets
2) McCoy Rd., Stowe Twp., 844 tickets
1) Rt. 28, Exit 11 and Exit 12, Harmar Twp., 926 tickets.
Ernie Ricci has his own theory why McCoy Road is one of the top speed traps.
"He's not picking on people. What he's trying to do is make money for the township and they have no respect for the residents of the township," said Ricci.
Marciw denied that and said his department only gets half of the fine. Marciw said it's not about the money, but safety.
"You know it's kind of sad to say but everyone has a job to do and that's exactly what he's doing his job," said Marciw.
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