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65 Mph speed limit on Deals Gap!

6K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  31261 
#1 ·
Did you know that the speed limit on US 129 in Blount County, TN is legally 65mph to the NC line at the Deals Gap motel?

Apparently it has been found this year, that no DOT survey of the road has ever been done in reference to what the speed "Should" be. That means that any speed limit sign was posted illegally. As this is apparently the case, the speed limit automatically reverts to the maximum limit for the area of 65mph! Read the following for what it's worth;

http://dragonaters.blogspot.com/2011/03/court-tdot-say-dragon-speed-limit-is-65.html

Let the insanity of replies begin and watch the death toll rise!
 
#2 ·
I'm not going to doubt the legal ruling because I have no idea how that would work. But I'm damn surprised to hear that you have to have an engineering study to change a speed limit. I'll bet that law gets changed.
 
#5 ·
they can still give you a ticket for " to fast for conditions " no matter what the speed limit is
They probably could but.........I think you could beat a ticket like that if there was no accident and had good weather. That ticket is usually given after an accident and both parties are at or under speed limit.
65 at the gap is too fast for that road IMHO.
 
#6 ·
I wouldn't believe that blog one bit. That page has a couple red flags for me. One is it quotes Killboy.com's April fools day joke leaving out the part about it being a joke. The video in the page seems like the stereotypical disabled suing type of person. Asking about the radar and recording, trying not to be obvious. Saying they were forced to not use the public defenders name which is public knowledge. I just don't believe it.
 
#7 ·
OK, I read a bit further. It's all BS.

The public defender did write to the blog poster demanding his name be removed because it is all false.

Here is a link to the letter.

http://www.archive.org/details/LetterFromPublicDefenderAtDealsGap

Here is the letter.

Dear Mr. Lee:

I am writing to again request that you remove any reference to me or my office from your website. Specifically, and not limited to the reference on:

http://dragonaters.blogspot.com/2011/03/court-tdot-say-dragon-speed-limit-is-65.html wherein you state:

The Dragonater wins again in Blount County traffic court! The Blount County attorney general (an "officer of THE COURT") refused to prosecute a 60 MPH speeding ticket on the Dragon. According to Blount County Public Defender J Matthew Elrod (an "officer of THE COURT"), based on the lack of mandatory Traffic Engineering Survey Speed Audit by TDOT. the speed limit on the Dragon at Deals Gap now officially defaults to 65 MPH, as required by TN Code. Even a TN state trooper admitted on video that the Highway Patrol, Blount County deputy sheriffs and Blount County courts have no jurisdiction on portions (or all) of the Dragon, that it's now Federal jurisdiction. Judge Brewer (an "officer of THE COURT") promptly ordered this case dismissed "off the record" ~ so fast it's not even on the court reporter's transcript ("bench conference" without defendant present at the "bar").

Per our last phone conversation as well as many other previous conversations, the speed limit on US 129 has not changed from the posted speed limits throughout the length of US 129. The State's decision not to prosecute your case had no bearing on the posted speed limit. The statements wherein you reference changes to the posted speed limits are false and misleading and need to be removed as they do not reflect any advice or opinion on the part of myself or my office.

To again clarify the situation, I will recount the specific details of my representation. I was appointed to represent you on an alleged speeding offense. We reset your case to a future date in order to prepare for hearing. After speaking to the Assistant District Attorney General about your choice to go forward with your case the Assistant District Attorney General made the decision to not go forward with the prosecution, which was a nolle prosequi on behalf of the State. This was announced in Court on March 7, 201 1 . Once more, the State may elect to nolle prosequi a case based on an infinite list of reasons. Nevertheless, that decision has no affect on the actual speed limit on US 129. I have specifically informed you of this fact several times by phone and in person, and I do so for the last time by letter. The State's decision to nolle prosequi your case is dispositive of nothing other than the State did not wish to prosecute your case any further.

With regard to the expunction of the speeding charge from your records, once I have a chance to see the Assistant District Attorney General I will request he sign the order and 1 will deliver that to Judge Brewer for his signature. I expect that to be done April 7, 201 1 at the earliest.

With regard to the costs you incurred in your case, I was able to speak to Betty McKcnzie in the cost collection department of the clerk's office who informed me that the reason for the costs was for the service of an out of county subpoena. If you have any further questions you may contact her.

I hope this letter answers the questions you had for me and hopefully clarifies that the speed limit on US 129 has not changed as a result of your case. If you have any further questions you may reach me at the above address.

Yours Sincerely, etc.

J. Matthew Elrod, Esq.
Assistant District Public Defender
 
#8 ·
Not to hijack.............but, I was at the store today. On 129 below the store 2 troppers were checking driver's licenses and there was motor cop on the Tail writing 240 dollar tickets for non-DOTapproved helmets.
 
#10 ·
Dragon legal speed limit

I don't really know about the legal speed limit, but I rode it in May and there were 30 mile limit signs on just about every straight of way-----3 sportbikes flew around me and the County Mounty had them pulled over about 2 miles on---had his little book and pen out---but don't know what he was writing them up for:shrug:
 
#15 ·
Read carefully and you realize it is all a sack of Bull. Since when did they have a 30mph speed limit, and many other points of the story do not match.

Go challenge one of those Tennessee boys to a race, I bet ya get a ticket. Lol!

Can you see taking a group up there and running 65 mph on the Dragon. Best have a whole fleet of choppers ready. About half of them are going to go off the road. The one left hand hairpin especially, that one is something, you would lose half of them on that one. And been awhile but along there about 1/3 the way from the store to the dam, is a curve that is banked the wrong way or something, I know it will wander the bike too close to the right side when you should be full left for the next turn. You would lose the rest of them there.

65 mph on the dragon......yea right......this is why so many die on the skyway. They can get up to triple didgit speed on there, and there ya go.

Amusing article, but it has no common sense to it.
 
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