How to Acquire Engineering and Traffic Survey for Golden Gate Bridge

[mariakruz]

My question involves a speeding ticket from the State of: California

I've been calling Golden Gate Bridge, Caltrans, Oakland and I still can't acquire a copy of the Engineering and Traffic Survey for the Golden Gate Bridge. Anyone have a number I can call?

[That Guy]

My question involves a speeding ticket from the State of: California

I've been calling Golden Gate Bridge, Caltrans, Oakland and I still can't acquire a copy of the Engineering and Traffic Survey for the Golden Gate Bridge. Anyone have a number I can call?

"Can't acquire" as in you've been told "you can't have it" or as in you've been told "it doesn't exist"???

If this is in regards to a speeding citation, what vehicle code section were you cited for?

[honghai66]

Not Caltrans, the Bridge belongs to "Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District", check out this website: http://goldengate.org/contact/

[mariakruz]

oh i just don't know WHO to call to request it...

That Guy - i was cited for 22350VC
68 in a 45
lidar
can i argue that no cop was pacing me? basically i got to the marin side and a motorcycle cop pulled me over...nobody was ever behind me
also want to do speed trap defense which is why i want a copy of the survey

[That Guy]

oh i just don't know WHO to call to request it...

I would normally start with CalTrans... If they are not the agency responsible for maintaining the bridge, they should be able to direct you to the agency that does.

I would also look through municipal and or county ordinances to see whether the speed limit was established by "an engineering study (as opposed to a "survey") followed by a public hearing"... (see VC sections 22402 ~ 22405)And if that is the case, then the prosecution's burden to establish that the speed limit was properly set can (in my opinion) be met by simply citing such an ordinance.

can i argue that no cop was pacing me?

Well, if the officer indicated (on the citation) that he used Lidar, he will more than likely testify as such at which point, you're arguing that you "were not paced" isn't going to work to refute that his speed measurement was inaccurate or invalid.

[jiggiep]

I don't know if this helps or not but some little tidbit, Golden Gate Bridge is privately owned. Back in the day when the city was trying to build it, they ran out of funds. So a group of people funded the project and it now belongs to a trust in their interest (or beneficiaries of theirs). So this may be why it's been difficult to get a traffic survey.

[flyingron]

I don't know if this helps or not but some little tidbit, Golden Gate Bridge is privately owned. Back in the day when the city was trying to build it, they ran out of funds. So a group of people funded the project and it now belongs to a trust in their interest (or beneficiaries of theirs). So this may be why it's been difficult to get a traffic survey.

Nonsense. The bridge has always been owned by the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District established by the State of California. The district is a quasi-governmental corporation, no more a private entity than many other things of that nature. The district also owns the Golden Gate Ferry and Transit bus operations. The state authorized construction bonds and the Bank of America bought them all when nobody else would. The last of those bonds was paid back finally in 1971. That didn't make BofA the owner. What is interesting in this day and age is that the bridge was finished under budget.

[jiggiep]

Nonsense. The bridge has always been owned by the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District established by the State of California. The district is a quasi-governmental corporation, no more a private entity than many other things of that nature. The district also owns the Golden Gate Ferry and Transit bus operations. The state authorized construction bonds and the Bank of America bought them all when nobody else would. The last of those bonds was paid back finally in 1971. That didn't make BofA the owner. What is interesting in this day and age is that the bridge was finished under budget.

I see, somebody told me that, and then I saw the FasTrak map and it was labeled it privately owned so I thought it was so. I guess not then. Sorry for the mistake.

[adam_]

Does the bridge need to have a survey to have a legal speed limit (ie not a speed trap)???

Why kill yourself looking for a survey that may not help?

[flyingron]

I see nothing in 40802 that would indicate that the bridge is NOT subject to the speed trap laws. Since LIDAR is used, the "current" survey must be presented in court to justify the speed limit. I'm not sure what the point of trying to "discover" it is. If they don't have it, then the case will be dismissed. If they do have it, they will attest that it supports the posted speed (and it wouldn't take more than a second to verify that).