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I’m Out Here Trying to Be a Good Urbanist and the City of Philadelphia is Ticketing Me Anyway

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Aug 4th, 2026 · 11:15 AM EDT

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I got a speeding ticket for driving 38 on very-North Broad Street back in June:

There is nothing like getting a speed camera ticket in the mail. Exhilarating! You go through a rapid-fire spectrum of reactions:

• what even is this?
• is this for my wife?
• this is a month old?
• was I even in the city on June 26th?
• what was I doing on June 26th?
• why is Philadelphia still up my ass 6 years after moving to the suburbs?*

Then you realize you’re stuck with a $100 fine and you can’t do anything about it. You’re up against the police state. They put up a camera, the camera says you were “speeding,” and you bend over and pay the fine like the sucker that you are.

What’s ironic about this particular trip is that it was a mass transit trip. I only drove about two miles down Broad Street to get to Fern Rock and get on the Broad Street Line. I’ve been using SEPTA a lot more at the behest of urbanist Philly Twitter, the sometimes-pushy but generally well-meaning folks who are trying to get more people to support mass transit. Driving to the sports complex is a gong show anyway, just completely untenable. The cops sit there and do nothing while myriad assholes take part in a Ted Nugent-styled Free For All. So I decided a few months back that I’d be a good soldier and fall in line with the urbanists and take the BSL down to the stadiums from now on.

That’s one thing that’s annoying, making a lifestyle change and getting ticketed anyway.

The other thing is that 38 in a 25 is very borderline. Anything under 40 is borderline, unless you’re speeding through some work zone or a school zone or whatever. Likewise, if you’re driving 45 down Broad you’re probably an asshole. Or if you’re speeding closer to Center City where there’s a lot of foot and bike traffic. But this is 66th and Broad, way up near the Montco line. The speed limit should probably increase to 30 up there. You can see the sign for the defunct Oak Lane Diner in the photo. There are two cars parked on the side of the road but 0 pedestrians, 0 bikers, and 0 other drivers in the photo. And the video itself is comical:

"speeding" pic.twitter.com/U0C7h03Q3u

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 4, 2026

Reckless speeding! Give me a break.

I personally believe the ticket should be rescinded on the following grounds:

1. 38 isn’t even that fast.
2. I just got off a SEPTA line five minutes earlier and I’m trying to do proper urbanism.
3. The PPA has been terrorizing the residents of Philadelphia and its suburbs for decades and should be abolished. Refuse! Resist!

The strategy from here on out is clear. Regional Rail only. There is no point bringing a motor vehicle even two feet across the city line. Philadelphia will put its foot firmly up your ass upon arrival, so the message has been received.

*Philadelphia fucked up our taxes big time. It took three years to resolve the issue. Three years!