In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–VA suit against loose Authority–
–IL Village votes down RLC–
–DOJ opens up CAF inquiry–
Friday, April 7, 2017
Virginia: Lawsuit Seeks To Stop $2.8 Billion Toll Diversion
State and local governments cannot use an interstate compact to delegate authority to impose tolls and taxes on motorists. That is the central claim of an ongoing federal lawsuit against the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which took control of the Dulles Toll Road in 2008 and diverted motorist money, projected to total $2.8 billion, for the construction of a Metrorail line to Dulles International Airport, 25 miles outside the nation’s capital.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Illinois Village Residents Vote Down Red-Light Camera, Gas Tax
Voters in Merrionette Park, Illinois on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected the idea of using red-light cameras. By a 69 percent margin, residents for a second time rejected the town board’s proposal to join suburban neighbors like Crestwood in the use of automated ticketing machines. Village leaders decided to put the question to residents at a board meeting last July.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
US Justice Department Report Questions Motive Behind Auto Seizures
Are police departments around the country using automobile seizure laws to pad local budgets? That was a question raised last week the US Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general’s review of operations under the federal asset forfeiture program, which has generated $28 billion over ten years.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Study Suggests Emphasis On Speed Enforcement Is Misguided
The insurance industry has long said that punitive speed enforcement is essential for traffic safety. Strict punishment is needed, they insist, to prevent the intentional speeding of impatient motorists. In a study to be published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, researchers from the University of Western Australia provide evidence they believe suggests exceeding the speed limit has more to do with unintentional memory lapses.
Monday, April 3, 2017
France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia: Spraypainted Cameras
In Empoli, Italy, vigilantes last week used spraypaint to disable a set of four speed cameras on regional road 429, Contro Radio reported. In Saarbrucken, Germany, vigilantes tarred and feathered a speed camera on Tuesday, according to Le Republicain Lorrain. Less than a day after new “saher” speed cameras were installed in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, vigilantes were able to disable them. Al Ufuq News reported that the devices were ripped from their base and knocked on their side on Friday.
