‘Ticket sent’? Sign on Highway 14 off-ramp in Vancouver was a mistake

Vancouver drivers exiting state Highway 14 onto East Evergreen Boulevard late last week who thought they would be getting a ticket in the mail can breathe a sigh of relief. Vancouver police said a speed sign mistakenly warned drivers “ticket sent.”

Because of the relatively short exit from the highway onto East Evergreen Boulevard, drivers have to rapidly decelerate from 60 mph to 35 mph. Despite a permanent sign installed on the road warning drivers of their speed, many continue to whiz by. The Vancouver Police Department brought in a second mobile sign with an LED screen and placed it a few feet down from the first sign. That’s where the ticket troubles began.

“There was a mistake made in the settings where the sign showed ‘ticket sent’ when a vehicle speeds past,” police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. “We were made aware of the displayed message, and it was corrected by Friday afternoon.”

Kapp said the sign now reads “slow down.”

Nervous drivers and others posted hundreds of comments about the sign on social media over the weekend. Many wondered if the sign was real and if they should indeed expect a ticket. Several people suggested challenging any tickets in court, especially because the speed sign often shows the speed of cars traveling on the nearby highway.

According to Kapp, the sign has been in use for about a year and was purchased by the police department through grant money designated for traffic safety. She said the sign is the only mobile one the department has. It is used to collect data in areas where residents have lodged complaints about speeders.

“That data gives us an idea for what time of day our traffic unit should be focusing their enforcement efforts in a particular area,” she said.