Police make 290 traffic stops, write 259 tickets during 2-week Bend Parkway speeding crackdown

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Over the past two weeks, Bend Police officers participated in a speed detail on the Bend Parkway in an effort to combat excessive speeds and dangerous driving. 

The goal of the detail was to reduce speeds, injuries and crashes and remind people of the risks of speeding, distracted driving and other dangerous behaviors.

Throughout the detail, police often had as many as two officers enforcing speed limits on the parkway between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekends, in addition to their typical patrol and traffic enforcement. 

Over the 14-day speed detail, officers made a total of 290 stops. Of those stops, 259 citations were given, 250 for speeding, eight for driving while suspended and one other citation. A total of 68 warnings were issued, 49 for speeding, four for equipment issues and 15 for other infractions. In addition, one person was arrested for an active warrant. 

Drivers were cited for speeds ranging from 58 MPH (which is 13 MPH over the speed limit) to 84 MPH (39 MPH over the speed limit). 

The most citations given out over a four-hour enforcement period by a single officer was 17, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, June 10. 

Friday, June 10 was also the day when the most people were stopped and cited – a total of 42 stops took place, with 36 citations. 

"A reminder to our Bend community that the speed limit on the Parkway is 45 MPH," police said in Wednesday's news release. "Many drivers may believe that is too slow, but it’s important to remember that the speed limit is the result of the road’s design, which includes short on-ramps, intersections and traffic lights that dot the road, as well as crosswalks at the south end of town."

Police added that they "may conduct additional speed details throughout the summer on the parkway and other popular roads in our community."