Virginia drivers revolt on huge traffic fines

NY Times:

Call it the lead-footers’ rebellion.

Earlier this month, Virginia began imposing huge, new fines — some as high as $2,500 — for residents caught driving 20 miles above the speed limit or engaging in other reckless driving.

The fines were to raise money for road projects, but they have also raised Cain, with more than 100,000 people having signed a petition calling for their repeal.

All 140 of Virginia’s legislators are up for re-election in the fall, and some say they have been deluged with angry calls and e-mails from constituents threatening to vote them from office if they do not vote to request Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to call a special session of the legislature to reconsider the law.

“You have no idea how angry people are,” said state delegate Robert G. Marshall, a Republican from Prince William County, who did not vote for the law that includes the new fines and is leading the call for a special session.

“Criminal and civil penalties shouldn’t be created for raising money,” Mr. Marshall said, added that constituents have stopped him on the street, in the post office and called his office to voice frustration with the new fines. “You don’t want to turn out police into gun-toting tax collectors. They’re supposed to be officers of the peace, nothing else.”

Rather than raise money for road projects, he said, the state needs to stop diverting money allocated for such projects to other uses.

If two-thirds of the House and Senate vote for a special session, Mr. Kaine is obligated to call one, Mr. Marshall said, adding that he is not sure how many legislators are willing to support such a request.

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This was a really dumb idea. Virginia has been struggling for a way to pay for road improvements for years. For some reason they are ignoring the obvious solution--toll roads. They are particularly effective in urban areas. In the Houston area they are actually pretty popular. Drives will gladly pay the toll to get to their destination quicker. With the electronic windshield tags the drives do not even slow down going through the E Z tag lanes.