Governments squeeze drivers to fill budget gaps

In coming months, parking tickets, traffic fines and the price of merely owning a vehicle likely will increase as local officials, particularly in the District, look for ways to fill bare coffers — at the expense of car-dependent residents facing one of the nation’s harshest commutes.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is seeking higher penalties for dozens of traffic violations in an effort to generate nearly $30 million. The plan is highlighted by a photo radar push to collect $40.7 million this year and $56.8 million in 2011, a 40 percent jump.

Absent a substantial increase in enforcement — or tweaking the machines to photograph vehicles driving closer to the speed limit — fines on speeding tickets will have to increase roughly 40 percent to meet the mark.

“They’re using motorists as their ATM machines,” said John Townsend, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman. “It’s patently wrong.”

And the District’s suburban neighbors will begin squeezing more dollars out of theirdrivers as well.

Fairfax County is likely to bring back a $33 vehicle registration fee and raise parking fines from $40 to as high as $75 for commercial vehicles illegally parked in residential areas. Montgomery County lawmakers are considering a $5 increase in parking fines, coming on top of a $5 increase this month.

Coupled with steeper Dulles Toll Road rates that went into effect this year and the potentially higher cost of parking at Metro garages, Washingtonians’ wallets will get lighter regardless of any driving mishaps.

But the budget crunches instigating the expected surge in traffic dollars could weaken the effort.

In a cost-cutting measure, Fairfax County police officers since January have taken over data-entry tasks, said Fairfax Coalition of Police President Marshall Thielen, lengthening traffic stops by “three times” and “significantly decreasing tickets.”

“Even if we wanted to write more tickets, we couldn’t,” he said.

The District is experiencing no such shortage. It brought in $99.9 million from traffic fines in fiscal 2009, according to budget documents. The rake is projected to hit $130.7 million this year and $146 million in 2011 — a 46 percent boost over two years.

Local governments also are turning to mobile speed cameras, trying to outwit drivers who change their habits once learning of the device’s location.

Supporters say the crackdown is necessary to mitigate the area’s boom in drivers with seemingly little regard for others on the road.

“I wish that our friends at the AAA would be advocating for increases in these fines every year regardless of these budget issues because the average motorist breaks a law every day,” said Richard Layman, a local bike and pedestrian planner. “The real problem is the roads are designed to allow high speeds all the time regardless of context.”

But Dan Martin, a new Arlington resident, says the measures are enough to keep his vehicle at home — unless he has no choice.

“My car will definitely collect more dust,” he said, before walking to a Northwest parking garage to fork over “a laughable amount of money.”

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