Cameras to Nab Backtrackers

Does anyone know if these bills proposed by Herring and Rust were approved?

http://www.loudouni.com/news/2010-01-26/cameras-sought-nab-dulles-access-road-‘backtrackers’

 

Genco - here is a VA HB Tracking system:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1295

It appears VA HB1295 was adopted on April 21, 2010 by the VA GA & VA Senate.

 

uh-oh, looks like someone is gonna have to start payin' =)

 

Not that i've ever done that on the toll road... but I'm not sure how it will work. They say it will be sort of like a red light camera, I assume it will see if a car enters and exits the airport too fast? Am I gonna get a ticket in the mail for dropping someone off at Dulles too fast? Can someone explain exactly how this system will work?

This also creates a big financial incentive for the Airport Authority to over-issue tickets. They get more money and the oweness is on the legit airport road users to clean up any mistakes the system makes. Move along citizen...

 

Exactly. If I quickly pick up or drop someone off and proceed back towards DC using the airport road, I have to deal with the hassle of trying to provide proof (not to a cop - but to a judge) that I was using the airport road appropriately. Guilty until proven innocent. That's just wrong.

I guess they either want my money for parking or they want it for their toll. But either way, they want to make sure I pay.

Maybe that's as it should be. Maybe my tax dollars don't go to paying for the initial capital and maintenance for the airport road. But if my taxes aren't paying for it, then why not make the aiport road a toll road too? (I can't believe I just said that). Open up the lanes to all drivers, get even more of that almighty dollar and alleviate some of the traffic I get to pay to be in.

 

Somethng to consider in next elections...

Delegate Thomas Greason voted Nay.

State Sen Mark Herring voted Yes.

 

Do you plan to slow down a little bit or does the passenger need to jump in/out of the car?

 

One has to assume that the camera system would use time spent in the airport as the key metric in determining if someone is using the airport road inappropriately. I never need more than 30 seconds to get out of the car when being dropped off at the airport, so the difference in time spent in the airport between someone just driving through and someone dropping someone off is likely less than 1 minute. So where does the camera draw the magic line between ticket and no ticket? What prevents toll-dodgers from taking multiple loops through the airport to make sure they are in the airport just long enough to avoid a ticket?

 

You're correct though, there are way too many 'ifs' as much as I would love them to ticket every bastard who does this.

What really bothers me is that people will have to suffer through the inconveniences because of a few idiots who think it's amusing to screw with the system at our expense.[/QUOTE]

why so hostile?

 

why so hostile?[/QUOTE]

I think anyone who would have to take a day off from work to go to court to try to prove their innocence would be hostile.

 

Let's be clear here. I pick up or drop off passengers when I use that road (and I can do that very quickly as well). I'm not a backtracker. I pay my taxes and I pay my tolls. I play by the rules because I don't want someone else paying my fair share. And even if I don't think the rules are fair, I play by the rules because it usually costs you more to try to avoid them in the end.

Maybe cameras are smarter than I give them credit for and they'll be really good at only ticketing true backtrackers. But I tend to agree with Mr. Linux. This does not appear to be about fair cost recovery or reserving the road for true airport users.

To me, this almost appears to be a baiting tactic to nab legitimate users of the road and make the pain to prove yourself legit outweigh the cost to just pay the fine. It might not be extortion. But it is close.

 

Mr. Linux, thanks for the warm welcome back, I appreciate it. The point I'd like to make is that rather finger point and call names, there are better solutions, sadly solutions that probably won't be implemented or even considered.

Do you know the Capital Beltway Hot Lanes project cost $1.98 billion? And here we are with already built Hot Lanes (yes, the access road) that should be seen as potential revenue generators and a solution to east bound congestion. There are days that I'd pay big bucks to use the Airport Hot Lanes - running late for work, trying to get home for kids soccer, etc.. So why not allow this use, generate revenue, keep the police force protecting one of the world's largest airports, not writing tickets to the poor bastard trying to make a living or cathing his/her kids soccer game, and an added bonus of not tying up the courts.

Seems to me that's a positive solution while this other rubbish is negative and wouldn't generate near the revenue that Airport Hot Lanes would. My two cents.

Regards,

Shim

 

I decided to momentarily become politically active and I emailed my (our) state senator about this issue. Here's the email conversation:

Senator Herring,

I have a question about SB 667 / HB 1295 which was passed on April 21, 2010. This bill "provides for the enforcement through the use of a photo-monitoring system or automatic identification system on the Dulles Access Highway." My understanding is that this bill is designed to help the operators of the Dulles Toll Road identify and fine those drivers who inappropriately use the road to avoid tolls and/or traffic. I was wondering if you could provide some clarification as to how this photo-enforcement will work. How can a photo-monitoring system distinguish between a car circling through the airport to avoid the toll and a car circling through the airport to pick up or drop off a passenger? I fear such a system might presume guilt over innocence and result in needless hours spent in court trying to sort out any mistakes the photo-monitoring system might make. In addition, I fear such a system would incentivize the operators of the Dulles Toll Road to over-issue citations because the responsibility to correct any mistakes would reside with the drivers. Could you please help me understand how this system will be able to separate the innocent from the guilty?

Thank you in advance for your time.

His response:

Thank you for writing and sharing your concerns regarding SB 667. This bill is indeed a traffic safety measure designed to penalize those who illegally "backtrack" on the Dulles Access Highway in order to gain access to the HOV lanes on I-66 inside the Beltway during the morning and evening rush hours, or in order to avoid paying the toll on the Dulles Toll Road.

Photo-monitoring equipment will be placed along the route and use time stamping. Traffic safety engineers will calibrate the enforcement system in such a way so that only those backtracking will receive a notice of violation, and users with legitimate airport business will not be penalized. Backtracking is not fair to those commuters who legitimately use the HOV lanes by carpooling, nor is it fair to the rest of us who pay the toll to use the Dulles Toll Road.

Again, thank you for writing.

Mark

It obviously lacks specifics on just how this system will distinguish the innocent from the guilty and it doesn't address the obvious incentive to over-issue tickets. My guess is he has no idea how it will be implemeted, but at least he took the time to write back. The law goes into effect on July 1, so I guess we'll have to wait and see how it will work.

 

That's an interesting thought. They could open up the airport access lanes during am/pm rush hour, and cars could use the already existing access points the buses use. A higher toll could be charged during these peak periods.
I like it!

 

My guess is that they don't want to tell how they will differentiate between legitimate users and backtrackers. If they did, it would be easier to figure out how to cheat the system.

 

Most of the backtrackers do not go to the Terminal, the turn around at the Marriott or one of the buildings accross the street from the hotel. Also, they use the back entrance to the airport and take the left turn next to the Exxon station. I really enjoy the ones that just take the left turn on avaiation drive and then go over the bridge and turn left and take the left at the light and get back on access road. All MWAA would have to do is post a couple of Officers at these locations and could ticket hundreds of drivers a day!