So yes a visible cruiser, does get the driver to slow down momentarily, but does not have a lasting effect on their behaviour.
If the goal is to get people to slow down in a school zone then place the cruiser(s) in plain view in the school zone.
Traffic enforcement is only applied to those who CHOOSE to violate the law ...
First, in many areas "the law" -- speed limits -- is arbitrarily set by municipalities or the province to generate revenue from speeding tickets (e.g. Four-lane industrial park roads with limits set at 50kph, for example, are revenue generators plain and simple.) The design speed for the 401 is at least 130kph but its limit is just 100kph. Why? Drive the 401 some time: Virtually
every single person driving that highway is breaking "the law" and I'm just talking about the average schmo cruising at 115 to 120 on his way home each night. Why? How is it possible everyone is a law breaker? Is it possible that many times the law itself is simply faulty?
Second, traffic enforcement with regard to speeds is applied selectively, sporadically and inconsistently. Why should that same guy live in fear that on some random day in some random location a cop, hidden atop an overpass or lurking on the far side of a bridge abutment (as was the favored practice in the days of photo radar) is going to aim his radar gun at his car, nailing him with a speeding ticket? It's purely random that the guy operating the radar gun happened to focus on his car out of a gaggle of 20 or 30 all traveling safely in the same direction, at the same speed, on a controlled-access highway.
Police cruisers very often drive 5, 10 or even 15kph over the limit when they're not in pursuit or rushing to a scene. I'll guarantee you that the drivers of these cruisers do exactly the same thing in their civilian vehicles at the end of their shift. Even cops acknowledge through their actions that speed limits -- "the law" -- are too low.
Again it is simple to avoid providing ANY revenue, follow the rules society has deemed acceptable.
No, it's not that simple. If you follow the letter of the law on many public highways in the province you're likely a danger to yourself and others. You're a pylon, an obstruction, you cause back-ups, frustration in other drivers etc. This is far more dangerous than simply toeing into the throttle and moving up to the speed of the flow of traffic or moving within the design speed of the highway and driving conditions. But then you need to worry that if you end up at the front of this pack you're the guy that's going to get arbitrarily picked off for speeding.
Then again, perhaps one might find oneself in the midst of such a pack and have an OPP cruiser come up the inside lane at a nice 125kph -- not rushing to a crime or an accident, just cruising -- and the pack will end up pacing him at that speed. Some will drop back for fear of getting a ticket because he may just be doing that to catch speeders. Not people driving dangerously, just folks following the flow of traffic.
Arbitrary, inconsistent and selective enforcement is not about public safety. There are more effective ways of making the public safe than obsessing about vehicle speed.
Interestingly, you say what the public has "deemed acceptable"; what the public has deemed acceptable, through their collective actions, is that travel on the 401 at ~120kph is acceptable. The cops and legislators have yet to catch up.
Lastly, you make it sound like the cop carries a portable sign and they decide at the roadside what the speed limit they enforce that day will be. The limits are set by others then we as a society merely ask the officer to do a job.
But it very often is just that. What is the "official" guideline, anyway? Is it 2kph over the posted limit? 5? 10? Can I expect to receive a ticket for doing 55 in a 50?
The problem with speed enforcement as we know it right now that what our governments are doing is asking police to generate revenue and doing their part by holding speed limits at some arbitrarily low value. We voters accept this specifically because of the selective and random and arbitrary nature of the enforcement. We are more likely to drive nearer the design speed of the roads and generally accept that there's a chance we're going to get randomly picked off but it seems to us like the chances are fairly low (and/or we know where common speed traps are...) and so we simply accept it.
