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I bet a lot of DC residents get ticketed and pay the fines because they don't want to find a boot on their car one morning. A lot of suburbanites and out-of-towners just toss these tickets in the trash.
So, as an indirect type of commuter tax, it is only marginally effective, and probably sets back any progress DC might wish to make towards more substantive reform.
The District will file with your state if you don't pay and you won't be allowed to renew your plates.
As far as "progress toward reform" a few pissed off suburbanites isn't going to affect us. If fewer drive into the District, we'll be happier.
The District will file with your state if you don't pay and you won't be allowed to renew your plates.
As far as "progress toward reform" a few pissed off suburbanites isn't going to affect us. If fewer drive into the District, we'll be happier.
Maybe, but there was about $250 million in unpaid tickets towards the beginning of the year, so people are clearly taking their chances.
I've also read that some members of Congress have large amounts of unpaid DC tickets. If DC is too aggressive, it runs the risk that Congress will find a way to remind the local government exactly who ultimately controls the shots in this town. It's supposed to be the nation's capital, not a little fiefdom run by petty bureaucrats for the benefit of local residents with a phobia of automobiles.
The fact that some DC Council members find ways to get their own tickets dismissed does not exactly help DC's cause:
As a person who uses DC 295/I-295/MD 295 occasionally (but does not live in the district), I agree that speed cameras should be there:
-The speed limits were, and are, plainly posted.
-There are physical conditions of the roadway that make it dangerous to move at interstate speeds on DC 295 (narrowed lanes, sharp curves, people crossing the road where the route runs parallel to city streets, really short on- and -offramps).
Geez, there were many days where I'd use the right lane to slow to the speed limit, and I'd always find myself looking at my rear because people cruise at 65+ until the last minute. And yes, there are signs that reduce the speed limit in stages within clear view of the roadway.
So yeah, all those that declared that they won't use the roadway should emphatically stay off the road (and not just there, either). Driving is not just about getting to a destination as fast as your pedal can be pushed to the floor, it's about adapting to conditions as they come.
Maybe, but there was about $250 million in unpaid tickets towards the beginning of the year, so people are clearly taking their chances.
I've also read that some members of Congress have large amounts of unpaid DC tickets. If DC is too aggressive, it runs the risk that Congress will find a way to remind the local government exactly who ultimately controls the shots in this town. It's supposed to be the nation's capital, not a little fiefdom run by petty bureaucrats for the benefit of local residents with a phobia of automobiles.
The fact that some DC Council members find ways to get their own tickets dismissed does not exactly help DC's cause:
DC 295 is a death trap, that's what it is. It's really quite shocking how there seems to be an accident on 295 somewhere between DC and Baltimore everyday with all the people driving 30+ over the speed limit while changing 3 lanes every half second.
The park police should start giving tickets for drivers impeding the left lane on 295. If driver start moving right then i bet the amount of accidents would decrease along with aggressive drivers.
But alas, this is just wishful thinking. Just think about the amount of revenue the police can produce from this type of traffic violation.
90% of the time, 295 is extremely congested in the DC area and it's impossible to pass on the left because there's too much traffic. that doesn't stop joe shmo from cutting in and out of lanes to save 30 seconds off his trip though. just my experience.
I understand people getting frustrated when there is no traffic and people do that.
Location: Prince Georges County, MD (formerly Long Island, NY)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gomason
90% of the time, 295 is extremely congested in the DC area and it's impossible to pass on the left because there's too much traffic. that doesn't stop joe shmo from cutting in and out of lanes to save 30 seconds off his trip though. just my experience.
I understand people getting frustrated when there is no traffic and people do that.
I travel the stretch between 895 and the Beltway often at off peak times, and this does indeed happen a lot. I've lost track of the number of "moving roadblocks" I've gotten stuck behind-- two cars in opposite lanes going the same speed.
Speed Trap. No Question! Driver's Beware. I just got hit with one of the camera tickets doing 61 in the 50 zone as we left DC on 10:30 05 JUL and headed north to see my 86 year old father in NJ. I'm 62 myself and driving a 2008 Hyundai Accent --- a real muscle car. There were no cars in miles of us. I'm from NC. This had to be a present from Washington, DC to raise revenue for the folks unlucky enough to live there. It will be the last time we ever visit to see the fireworks on our nation's capital. This learning experience cost me a hundred dollars. I'm tired of getting an education which grabs dollars from my wallet.
Speed Trap. No Question! Driver's Beware. I just got hit with one of the camera tickets doing 61 in the 50 zone as we left DC on 10:30 05 JUL and headed north to see my 86 year old father in NJ. I'm 62 myself and driving a 2008 Hyundai Accent --- a real muscle car. There were no cars in miles of us. I'm from NC. This had to be a present from Washington, DC to raise revenue for the folks unlucky enough to live there. It will be the last time we ever visit to see the fireworks on our nation's capital. This learning experience cost me a hundred dollars. I'm tired of getting an education which grabs dollars from my wallet.
Or just slow down next time you pass a "speed limit photo enforced sign."
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