Just wanted to give my fellow north Jersey boyz and galz a major heads-up: Until further notice, please consider both spurs of the NJ Turnpike between Interchage 12 and Interchange 18 (up to the Route 80 split) as ONE GIANT SPEEDTRAP. I travel this stretch daily and it is absolutely infested daily with State Police lurking behind barriers and overpasses.

It's always been risky to speed on this 25 mile stretch, but I noticed a serious uptick in trooper activity right around Jan/Feb of this year. Think your latest and greatest radar/laser detector will help you?? Do not bet on it. They are throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at motorists with all sorts of methods: laser, radar, and pacing. In fact, even if your detector is up to the task, you won't get much of a chance to let loose: by the time the detector quiets down and you open up the X to say 90 mph...you're already hitting the next trooper checkpoint. The fines are one thing, but the points rack up quickly, and when you get to 12, stick a fork in ya! In other words, license will get suspended.

This is not an indictment or criticism of the Troopers: I'm sure the major uptick in "enforcement" comes from much higher up. Indeed, the Troopers will cut you a lot of slack up to 75 mph. This whole stretch is a 55 zone, which is ridiculous and even the Troopers realize that. Even the old ladies on oxygen tanks are doing 75mph in their 1985 Buicks. So you're OK up to 75. They will pretty much leave you alone. Between 75 and 80 gets a bit risky. Once you're above 80mph on this stretch, your ass is grass. The gloves come off and they are giving out summonses like candy. I see it multiple times, every day.

Don't say I didn't warn you!