What’s the Average Speed for an Edina Speeding Ticket?

Last week, local speeders got a bit of a scare when WCCO-TV reported that Edina police wrote more speeding tickets per capita than any other agency in the Twin Cities.

But Police Chief Jeff Long said officers aren’t out to pick on drivers; they just want people to be safe on the city’s roads. In a Tuesday blog post, he stated:

We have a lot to be proud of in Edina, including safe roads. However, getting to this point has not been easy. Trying to educate motorists that traffic enforcement is a benefit to the community is a bit like my doctor telling me that a very uncomfortable medical exam is really to my advantage. Although I know it’s true, I don’t have to like it. And to me, that about summarizes traffic enforcement. Most people know it reduces accidents, saves lives and reduces crime, but not many people really like it.

So when do Edina police write tickets? Long shared the following statistics:

• In April, 1,024 citations were issued.
• The average stop speed on City streets was 16 mph over the limit.
• The average stop speed on the highways was 17 mph over the limit.
• The highest citation on City streets was issued for 57 mph in a 30 mph zone. The lowest was for 39 mph in a 30 mph zone.
• The highest citation on the highway was issued for 89 mph in a 55 mph zone. The lowest was for 67 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Click here to read the full blog post or click here to see a map comparing the number of speeding tickets metro police departments wrote.