Refer to this map:
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3131/drivingtm6.jpg
I was driving down this street in the morning around half past 7. When I entered the school zone I was driving aproximently 28 mph on a normally 30 mph road. The school zone speed limit is 20. In my city, school zone lights turn on (meaning the speed is in effect) 30 mins prior to the school opening. This particular elementary school opens at 8, so the lights would turn on at exactly 7:30. I continue along this until the highlighted intersection where I run into a red light. I continue on and see a parked cop with his gun out on me and as I pass, lights up and pulls me over. I wait in my car until he walks up explains how fast I was going and that the area is a school zone. I hand him my registration and wait for the bad news. No less than a minute and a hald later he walks back up with my ticket for a speeding violation in a school zone at 8 over. $177 fine.
The thing is, the time he wrote the ticket was 7:34, it says on the actual ticket which I mailed to the court. Is it plausible that I entered the school zone BEFORE the lights turned on? I find it hard to beleive this all happened in less than 4 mins, from the point which I entered the school zone to the red light, to when he pulled me over and collected my information, and when he wrote my ticket. Do I have a chance if I contest that the lights were not on warning me to slow down? I hardly ever drive downt this road, and it is actually one of the cities main streets with 4 lanes, so the elementary school is kind of secluded along side. The judge also cannot lower my fine in my state, so it is either dropped or I pay. Thanks for any help.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3131/drivingtm6.jpg
I was driving down this street in the morning around half past 7. When I entered the school zone I was driving aproximently 28 mph on a normally 30 mph road. The school zone speed limit is 20. In my city, school zone lights turn on (meaning the speed is in effect) 30 mins prior to the school opening. This particular elementary school opens at 8, so the lights would turn on at exactly 7:30. I continue along this until the highlighted intersection where I run into a red light. I continue on and see a parked cop with his gun out on me and as I pass, lights up and pulls me over. I wait in my car until he walks up explains how fast I was going and that the area is a school zone. I hand him my registration and wait for the bad news. No less than a minute and a hald later he walks back up with my ticket for a speeding violation in a school zone at 8 over. $177 fine.
The thing is, the time he wrote the ticket was 7:34, it says on the actual ticket which I mailed to the court. Is it plausible that I entered the school zone BEFORE the lights turned on? I find it hard to beleive this all happened in less than 4 mins, from the point which I entered the school zone to the red light, to when he pulled me over and collected my information, and when he wrote my ticket. Do I have a chance if I contest that the lights were not on warning me to slow down? I hardly ever drive downt this road, and it is actually one of the cities main streets with 4 lanes, so the elementary school is kind of secluded along side. The judge also cannot lower my fine in my state, so it is either dropped or I pay. Thanks for any help.
