Ask a Cop

Questions “Ask a Cop” can range from whether officers can issue traffic citations in shopping center parking lots to issues relating to what constitutes disturbing the peace.

Questions can be directed to West Lake Hills Police Department by e-mail at copsec@westlakehills.org or 327-1195; Rollingwood Police Department at policedept@cityofrollingwood.com or 328-1900; or, to determine the appropriate agency, to our office at news@westlake-picayune.com or by calling 327-2990.

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By West Lake Hills Police Chief Cliff Spratlan

Special to the Picayune

Q: When driving through areas that I’m not familiar with, I tend to drive extremely slow until I see a posted speed limit. But I am curious about whether there are generally accepted norms for speed limits along residential streets, state highways and interstates. Do law enforcement agencies give any latitude to motorists who are stopped for speeding if the motorist points out that there were no speed limit signs from a point where he or she entered a given roadway?

A: Chief Cliff Spratlan of the West Lake Hills Police Department said there is a rule of thumb on residential streets without a posted speed limit that 30 mph is the accepted speed.

“I’ve noticed some streets in other cities where the posted speed in residential areas is 25 mph, which was surprising to me, because to do that requires a study based on the 85th percentile speed and, in most cases where they do that, it [the determined speed] is higher,” Spratlan said, referring to the Texas Department of Transportation’s complex formula for calculating speed limits based on the speed that 85 percent of motorists drive along a given roadway.

“It [the speed determined by the study] can go up or down if it’s halfway in between, but but in most cases it’s going to be an upward move.

“That’s why West Lake [Hills] doesn’t have any studies done.”

To the question pertaining to rural highways without posted speed-limit signs, Spratlan said it gets a bit more dicey for motorists to decide what speed to drive.

But Spratlan said he would be compelled to give a motorist only a warning if he or she gave the excuse mentioned.

“I’ve never seen or heard a rule of thumb about such an unposted rural highway,” he said. “Of course, I’ve been around a thousand years, so I have no reason for running up a [citation] score. So, if they have a reasonable reason for speeding, I’d caution them with a warning.”

In reply to the question about driving on an interstate, Spratlan said it is advisable to drive 55 mph until seeing a speed limit sign.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry, “ he said.