Best Speed Trap

Ask most cops about the favorite HPD speed traps, and they'll chuckle. After all, speeders are everywhere in Houston. Traffic enforcement is like radar-shooting SUVs in a barrel. Perhaps a few miles over the limit can be tolerated in most areas, simply because there's not much reason to slow down and savor scenery that's not even there. However, two miles are delightfully different. The segment of Memorial (and the split into Woodway) through Memorial Park to Loop 610 needs to be protected as a local treasure. This journey through the pines means communing briefly with the hikers and bikers and the rest who respect nature. The sense of special spirit for drivers is brief enough even at 40 mph. It doesn't need to be broken quickly by the zooming pickup trucks and leadfoots trying to duplicate the Daytona 500. So relish the sight of that radar cop waiting at the crest of the rise after the railroad overpass on Memorial. This speed trap will take you on three or so minutes of motoring tranquillity, so rare in this rage-heavy regional transportation mix.