Pelham Manor Police Establish Speed Traps on Shore Road in 1910 to Catch Those Traveling Faster than Fifteen Miles Per Hour

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As the new-fangled automobile became increasingly popular in the earliest years of the 20th century, Pelham Manor Police struggled with the headache of speeders zipping along Shore Road from New York City on their way to the New York Athletic Club facility on Travers Island.  The Village responded by imposing a 15 mile per hour speed limit throughout the Village.  As speeding continued, the Village Police got tough.  They began establishing speed traps on Shore Road to catch those who violated the limit.

The article below describes the plans of the Pelham Manor Police to use speed traps to enforce the speed limit.

"AFTER SPEEDERS.
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The police of Pelham Manor and several other Westchester County towns are about to start a vigorous crusade against violators of the automobile speed law.  In Pelham Manor Chief of Police Marks is going to see that drivers do not travel faster than fifteen miles an hour as provided by a village ordinance.  An unusual large number of machines pass through Pelham Manor as the N. Y. Athletic Club is located there and many New Yorkers use the Shore Road in traveling to the club house.  The police intend to place several traps on that road and a strict watch will be kept for all speeders.

Several years ago the police of Pelham Manor carried on a campaign against speeding and many arrests followed.  On some Sundays as many as twenty automobilists were arrested and fined.

Then the police and the officials of the village were threatened with suits, claiming that the officers had exceeded their authority and the crusade came to a standstill.

On August 1, however, the police of Pelham Manor will renew their efforts to prevent speeding within the village limits."

Source:  Trolley to Shore Road, New Rochelle Pioneer, Jul. 30, 1910, p. 3, col. 5.

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