For both new transplants and first-time drivers in North Texas, one piece of advice has lingered for decades: don鈥檛 speed in Pantego or Dalworthington Gardens.
The warning was one of the first Jill Weaver received when she moved to Texas 17 years ago. Weaver, who lives near Dalworthington Gardens, sets her cruise control to 39 miles per hour when she drives Bowen Road 鈥� a mile under the speed limit, with some room in case her speedometer reading is incorrect.
鈥淧eople will get frustrated behind me, I can see in my rearview mirror, and they鈥檒l go around me,鈥� Weaver said. 鈥淛ust a few blocks down the road, they鈥檙e pulled over.鈥�
As her child learns how to drive, she鈥檚 imparting the same lesson on him.
鈥淚鈥檓 not paying that ticket, and I definitely don鈥檛 want my insurance to go up any more than it did with having a teenage boy driving,鈥� she said.
The two towns, nestled next to each other within Arlington city limits, have earned the label 鈥渟peed trap鈥� by people wary of increased traffic enforcement from both towns. City leaders have refuted the characterization as far back as 1959, in a front-page story in the now-defunct newspaper .
City officials to this day continue to denounce the label. Mayors of both towns say their communities are simply safer thanks to increased law enforcement.
Dalworthington Gardens police issued 4,249 moving and non-moving traffic citations between Jan. 1, 2023, and Aug. 1, 2024, according to town public safety department data. During the same timeframe, police recorded 1,746 speeding violations.
Mayor Laurie Bianco said the city supports its police and law enforcement efforts, especially along Bowen Road, Pleasant Ridge Road and Pioneer Parkway.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 come to our city to commit crimes because they know better,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are law enforcers, and the minute you start fudging or minimizing laws is the minute that you鈥檙e starting to invite riff raff that you don鈥檛 want in your city to come in.鈥�
The town of Pantego issued 3,208 traffic citations between Jan. 1, 2023 and Aug. 13, 2024, according to statistics obtained via records request.
Mayor Russ Brewster said the town has a couple of spots where people could get in trouble: a long school zone across Bowen Road, as well as the hill in Arlington that leads into Pantego.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to say they don鈥檛 really think about it when they鈥檙e going down a hill, they pick up speed,鈥� Brewster said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 think, 鈥極h, I need to hit those breaks and slow down a little bit because I see the speed limit sign,鈥� but they just seem to coast right through that.鈥�
law enforcement agencies from observing ticket quotas 鈥� that is, requirements for officers to issue a certain number of citations in order to generate revenue. However, Texas law neither defines nor outlaws increased enforcement practices broadly associated with speed traps, according to
When he arrives at the hill along Park Row Drive, Rob Arndt slows down to 30 miles per hour, sets his car on cruise control and stays vigilant through the area. The drive can cause anxiety, though he said the area is not monitored as much as it once was.
鈥淚 do love the fact that they don鈥檛 just not care at all, but when you鈥檙e worried about going 1 mile an hour over the speed limit because you鈥檙e going to get pulled over, you get a ticket for it? To me, that鈥檚 a little excessive,鈥� he said.
Forrest Nelson travels through Pantego nearly every day. While he鈥檚 been ticketed before for speeding, he said police are doing what they can to enforce the law.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 urban legend and, quite frankly, not a bad urban legend to have if it keeps the crime out of your town,鈥� he said.
Towns want to move past label
Brewster said he doesn鈥檛 feel like his town is a speed trap and would like to see the reputation disappear.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had that reputation and we鈥檙e trying to send that to the wayside. I don鈥檛 know if we ever will, but that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e looking at,鈥� he said.
Instead, Brewster said the town would like to be known for its unique restaurants and shopping areas. City officials and business owners have focused recently on pedestrian walkability, especially along the main drag on Park Row Drive.
鈥淎 lot of the landowners and property owners are fixing up their locations 鈥� redoing this, redoing that 鈥� so we can be more of a walkable space 鈥� we鈥檙e not a destination town, but we鈥檇 like to be a unique little town for folks to visit and have a good time,鈥� he said.
Bianco said Dalworthington Gardens has prioritized its economic development and prioritized attracting retail and restaurants, especially along Bowen Road.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to establish ourselves as a destination city,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or many years, we were looked at as a bedroom community, but we are moving forward.鈥�
Bianco said the city is looking to set itself apart 鈥� but not through stringent traffic enforcement.
鈥淲e鈥檙e simply protecting our citizens, and we have laws for a reason. If people don鈥檛 follow them, then our society becomes chaotic. And that鈥檚 not something that鈥檚 going to happen under my watch,鈥� Bianco said.
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