The Capital Region is littered with small villages along its landscape and most popped up for a lot of the same reasons, the locals being unhappy. The village of Colonie is no exception.
Their incorporation in 1921 was based on what the residents preceived as a lack of services from the town of Colonie. They wanted their own police force, fire department and court system.
One hundred years ago, the majority of the 900 soon-to-be villagers lived right here on the Albany-Schenectady road. Today, we just call it Central Avenue, and it’s almost completely commercial now. But, if you look hard enough, you can still find some homes that remain from those early village days.
But how would a shiny new village like Colonie fund themselves? Taxes, sure, but also building one of the most notable speed traps in the state of New York would work, too.
The speed limit on this road in 1920 was a comfortable 30 mph, but in 1921 it was dropped to 20. With a couple of motorcycle cops ready to dish out speeding tickets, and at $10 a pop, Colonie’s coffers quickly filled.
It wouldn’t last long, though. By 1924, the village brought in about the same revenue from speeding tickets as Albany, a city was about 120 times larger. A state bill was soon passed prohibiting municipal governments from profiteering from motor vehicle arrests.
A centennial later, the village is still going even without its speed trap. Here’s hoping it’s got another 100 in her.
