Gold Beach, Oregon Speed Traps

A speed trap between Gold Beach bridge and Port Ave exists as another poster has indicated. I can attest that the local police and city’s budget still enjoy issuing tickets to out-of-state drivers. The City Council has passed exorbitant presumptive fines well above the state mandated schedule of fines. Not even sure this is legal, no one has challenged them. For instance a Class D violation has a presumptive fine of $115, but City of Gold Beach will fine you $185. A Class C should be $165 according to legislature set limits, but the City sets the presumptive fine at $235. They do this to fill city’s coffers from the pocketbook of out-of-state drivers.

Traveling north on 101 at the posted 55 mph, you round a blind curve entering Gold Beach and are immediately faced with a 40 mph speed limit sign. There are no signs warning of a reduced speed ahead.

Substandard urban arterial with combined horizontal and vertical curves on relatively steep grade. Unaware drivers, particularly those from out-of-town who may be distracted from watching their speedometers closely by traffic and poor highway geometry may not be aware their speed is creeping up on the downward grades. The police have their radar at the bottom of the grade at Port Dr. to maximize their chances of catching the unaware. They also appear to ignore speeding locals in the median lane and give the tickets to out-of-State vehicles obeying the law in the shoulder lane. Rigorous enforcement may be for the benefit of the town budget, not safety. If the town were really concerned about traffic safety, the substandard Rogue River Bridge and its approaches and the horrible alignment of the 101 in the area would be improved to modern standards.

Radar traps are most frequent "tools" in Gold Beach, and can be anywhere. Enforcement is relentless in 20 mph school zone.