It’s been years since I’ve had a speeding ticket. In fact, I usually don’t speed. My wife Nancy says I drive like a cautious snail, but they nailed this snail last week.
I was on Rt. 460 heading for Princeton, WV and passed through a little town along the New River called Rich Creek. Remember that name, Rich Creek, one of the world’s great speed traps.
Rt. 460 is a nice four-lane highway that runs through Blacksburg all the way over and into West Virginia. In many places, the speed limit is 65, but occasionally drops to 60. In Rich Creek, however, and for no apparent reason, the speed limit suddenly changes to 40 mph, not 45, but 40, and there is only one sign informing motorists of that change. Well, I missed the sign and was doing 60 in a 40-mph zone, which is actually reckless driving. The local cop gave me a break, however, and reduced the speeding ticket to “Failure to obey a traffic sign”, so I got off a little easy, but with $64 less in my checking account
Later, friends in Princeton said that Rich Creek was widely known for nailing unsuspecting motorists traveling through. It’s a major source of the small town’s income. So, if you find yourself in Rich Creek, slow down or they’ll get ya’.