Posted by Jeffrey Alan Messer I'm not exactly keen on ticketing drivers for following the natural lay of the land and going over the speed limit down a hill. Kinetic energy is wasted when a driver has to break, especially in a vehicle with an electric engine, like a gas-electric hybrid or Western Michigan University's Sunseeker, which can recharge its batteries when going down hill. So, I think ticketing speeders going down a hill is anti-environment. However, there are accidents on these long, tall hills during the winter, so getting drivers into the habit of breaking is probably good for safety. There have been plenty of accidents on Westnedge Hill when the roads get icy. I would recommend avoiding these large hills when the roads are slick. Not only may you find yourself unable to get up the hill, but no matter how safe of a driver you are, you'll probably get rear ended by some other driver who has lost control on the ice. As far as the speed trap today, it was probably too early to be caused by Western Michigan University's first home football game of the season. The game, versus Indiana University from the Big 10 conference, didn't start until 8 o'clock.
on September 8, 2007, 5:18 pm, in reply to "Kalamazoo Speed Traps On Stadium Drive"
There was definately a speed trap in operation on Howard Street today at 12:25 p.m. I saw the officer pointing his radar or laser at eastbound traffic coming down Howard Street Hill towards the newly renovated Crosstown Parkway intersection. This is the first time I recall seeing traffic coming down that hill targeted and only the second time I've seen traffic coming down any hill monitored (the other one being nearby Westnedge Hill with the officer parked at Rx Optical). The officer was parked in the easternmost driveway of Maple Street Magnet Middle School. 
In about May, Bronson Hospital security began patrolling their campus on Segway Human Transporters. When I saw a guard on patrol the first time, it was like seeing the "Cop of the Future," like RoboCop or something. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety doesn't have any of these yet, so they borrow them from Bronson when needed, like during the August 4 white power rally. There are supposedly a lot of Segways used by the police in Chicago.
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