Accident Report
Dear Accidents Waiting to Happen:
Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report,
http://tinyurl.com/8n3aytv;
in the table with the complete statistics, Washington is ranked 195th
out of 195 cities, with drivers going just 4.7 years between accidents,
and having a 112.1 percent likelihood of an accident, relative to the
national average,
http://tinyurl.com/9tmdq24.
Examiner reporter Liz Essley wrote on Tuesday that Councilmembers
Tommy Wells and Mary Cheh, who are normally the members of the city
council who are the most opposed to the interests of drivers and car
owners, are considering lowering the size of traffic camera fines, at
the same time as the Metropolitan Police Department is going to increase
the number of traffic cameras,
http://tinyurl.com/8j4xl5w.
Wells says the right thing: "We need to have a rationale behind [fines],
otherwise there's a presumption that the size of the fine is depending
on how much the District needs for their general fund." And Cheh told
Essley that “she wanted the MPD to find out whether some cameras, such
as the cameras on Interstate 295 and Porter Street Northwest, qualify as
‘speed traps.’”
However, Essley ends her article with the bad news. “But both
lawmakers seemed convinced the cameras were working to make DC streets
safer — DC had 32 traffic fatalities in 2011, down from 72 in 2001,
police data show.” That’s one statistic, but the Allstate report gives
another statistic that suggests that traffic cameras aren’t really
making streets of DC safer. If they were, perhaps we could crawl out of
dead last place in the likelihood of having a traffic accident. If
traffic cameras worked as the city council and MPD promised, wouldn’t
the accident rate fall? And if the real purpose of traffic cameras were
to improve safety instead of to increase revenues, would the government
double down on a strategy that was profitable, but had no positive
effect on the accident rate?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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In the April 29 issue I noted the evidence that the growing network
of MPD speed cameras is aimed not at public safety, but at maximum
proceeds to balance the District's budget. Last week one of my ANC
constituents told me that the infamous Porter Street speed trap camera
had inflicted three $125 tickets on her. Of course, she had no inkling
that there was a problem until the first ticket arrived in the mail, by
which time the second and third were already on their way. She has what
amounts to a $375 fine for exceeding an absurdly low posted speed limit,
spotted by a camera positioned not where there are crosswalks and cross
traffic and residences, but a block further on, where there are none.
Queried for the rationale behind that 30 mph posted limit, DDOT
replies simply that that's what it is, that's what it's always been, and
nobody today knows why. Somebody thought it was a good guess, decades
ago, and now that posted limit lives on, never questioned. The MPD
doesn't confirm that a posted speed limit to be enforced with a speed
camera is reasonable, but naively assumes that DDOT knew what it was
doing when it set a limit.
The MPD argues that these speed cameras are only for safety, not
revenue, and never mind that thirty million dollar hole in the DC budget
that automated enforcement cameras are expected to fill. But a truly
dangerous driver, high on drugs or blind drunk, won't be stopped by a
speed camera, which will allow any such driver to continue on his lethal
way. Only responsible drivers, such as my unhappy constituent, will have
their behavior changed by these speed cameras. And what difference will
that make to our accident rate? Virtually none, because only 5 percent
of collisions in the District involve speed violations, and only 3
percent list speed as a "primary crash contributing factor" (2009 data).
In short, speed cameras will surely help balance the District's
budget, especially with stealth tickets adding up before the violator
even learns that there's a problem, but will do little to enhance public
safety.
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Petition Calls for Schools Oversight
Virginia Spatz,
TakeBackDCGovt@gmail.com
I wrote the following petition in response to the process by which
private foundations are transforming our public schools into charter
schools without our elected bodies having to approve the process.
“To be delivered to Vincent Gray, Mayor of the District of Columbia,
and Phil Mendelson, Chair, City Council. Exercise oversight, investigate
conflicts of interest, and stop government by venture philanthropy.
Reject the Walton-funded ‘IFF Report’ and organize independent study,
planning and evaluation of DC's traditional public and public charter
schools.
“Decision-making on the future of public education in my town is
being handed over to outside interests who view charter schools as a
lucrative ‘industry.’ A Walton-funded plan, developed by a Walton-funded
real estate venture, calls for closing or ‘turnaround’ of dozens of DC
public schools and using their property ‘as incentives’ for outside
charter operators, many funded by the Waltons. Public input has been
relegated to a few neighborhood-based, summertime ‘Conversations,’
organized by a Walton partner. We call on the Mayor and the DC Council
to exercise oversight responsibilities, investigate obvious conflicts of
interest, and reject government by outside interests.
“Signing is not a vote for/against charter schools, for/against
unions, or a statement about any particular reform agenda. It's a
request that DC officials exercise responsible oversight before making
drastic changes that will affect our entire city, not just school
children and their families.”
Petition comments add to the power of this document. Non-residents of
DC, particularly, are encouraged to comment with their signatures, so
District officials will know why their actions matter beyond our
borders. The petition is at
http://signon.org/sign/reject-venture-controlled.
For more information, see
http://alecindc.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/call-to-reject-venture-controlled-public-education/
and
http://wp.me/p2zkS4-P.
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The DC Republican Committee platform for the 2012 convention and
election can be found at
http://www.dcgop.com/issues.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Community Organizing 101, August 30
Parisa Norouzi,
parisa@empowerdc.org
Empower DC and DC Jobs with Justice present a grassroots leadership
education program. Interested in community organizing but don’t know
where to start? Attend Community Organizing 101 with special guest
facilitator, longtime DC community organizer Roger Newell. Thursday,
August 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Dorothy Height-Benning Road Library, 3935
Benning Road, NE (Minnesota Avenue Metro). Parking available, wheelchair
accessible. RSVP to Sequnely at 234-9119 x103, childcare@EmpowerDC.org
(limited child care available, please RSVP), with support from the DC
Childcare Collective.
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Future of the MLK Library, September 19
George Williams, george.williams2@dc.gov
Forty years after the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library
opened its doors, the DC Public Library explores what’s possible for the
historic building and what makes a spectacular central library. District
residents are encouraged to join in the discussion at the September 19
meeting of the Board of Library Trustees at the Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, 6:00 p.m. Nationally recognized
architects and library experts will present ideas to board members and
residents.
In the meantime, improvements continue on the forty-year-old
building. The Business, Science, and Technology room on the first floor
closed this week to make way for a revamp of the first floor that
includes a new Digital Commons technology space that will house seventy
public computers. Improvements to the Great Hall that will make it an
even better place for performances and programs. Work on the first floor
is scheduled to be completed in 2013. “Over the years, we have done a
lot to improve the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library from improved
lighting, to a new teen space, and a renovated assistive services
space,” added Cooper. “All of this work, including the first floor work
that we’re doing now, is to improve the library experience for District
residents.”
To further discussion on the future of the Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Memorial Library building, the DC Public Library commissioned the Urban
Land Institute (ULI) to study possibilities for the building last
November. The ULI report issued last spring suggested adding additional
floors to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library building and
sharing space with another civic, cultural or commercial entity. Any
scenario including continuing the status quo, the report stated,
requires a significant financial commitment by the District to improve
the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library building. Based on that
report, the Library charged The Freelon Group -- the Martin Luther King,
Jr., Library building’s architect of record since 2010 -- and library
consultants June Garcia and Susan Kent with developing ideas for
renovating and reviving the historically protected Martin Luther King,
Jr., Memorial Library building. Their work will be presented at the
September Library board meeting. In the days following the Library board
meeting, the District of Columbia City Council’s Committee on Libraries,
Parks, and Recreation will hold a public roundtable. The roundtable
hearing will be held on 11:00 a.m., Septmber 27, on the fifth floor of
the John A. Wilson Building.
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