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[ST] blue ridge fines
- Subject: [ST] blue ridge fines
- From: Garrett Johns <garrett.johns@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 16:29:15 -0400
In case you haven't heard For all you BRP fans. Be aware!
> New fines aimed at Parkway speeders
> By Becky Johnson
>
> Speeders on the Blue Ridge Parkway are in for
> steeper fines - now $500
> up from $150 - if park rangers deem the drivers were
> causing a serious
> risk to themselves or others.
>
> Tim Francis, district ranger for the southern
> portion of the Blue Ridge
> Parkway, said the new fine is a much-needed
> deterrent. Sport bikes are
> too frequently clocked going "triple digit speeds"
> on curvy stretches,
> Francis said. The top speed Francis recalls is 120
> mph.
>
> "Not only were they wrecking, but it was ruining
> other people's
> experience who were trying to take a casual drive,"
> Francis said.
>
> Last year, rangers were battling a group of
> professional riders who had
> a standing challenge to fellow bikers: take the
> Parkway from Asheville
> to Swain County, ride the notorious Dragon's Tail in
> Graham County, and
> return via the Parkway as quickly as possible.
>
> One speeder Francis ticketed for $150 replied it was
> "worth it" for the
> ride he just took.
>
> "They were looking at it as the cost of an admission
> ticket," Francis
> said. "Some of these guys are good riders and could
> do it, but it was
> ruining other people's experience. Visitors come
> from all over the
> country for nice leisurely rides, not to watch the
> races."
>
> These excessive speeders pose threats to bicyclists,
> backpackers,
> pedestrians taking pictures near overlooks and
> wildlife foraging along
> the roadside, Francis said
>
> When the $150 fine seemed too lenient given the
> speed, rangers required
> the speeder to appear in court, where a steeper fine
> could be levied.
>
> The federal judges were consistently "handing down
> $500 tickets for
> aggravated speeding," said John Garrison, chief
> ranger for the Parkway.
> So this month, U.S. Chief District Court Judge
> Graham Mullen changed the
> law, allowing rangers to write speeders up a $500
> ticket per offense on
> the spot.
>
> "We're recognizing the unique and high dangers
> represented by these
> aggressive driving behaviors," said Garrison.
> Garrison said the amount
> of the ticket will be based on the ranger's
> discretion of the
> circumstances - someone going 60 mph swerving and
> doing wheelies could
> be as grievous as another biker going 80 mph.
>
> Extremely risky driving could earn a $1,000 fine, as
> rangers can levy
> $500 for speeding and another $500 for the separate
> offense of reckless
> driving. In cases where $1,000 still doesn't seem
> like enough, rangers
> can continue to require the speeder to come to
> court, Francis said.
> Francis has taken a speeder to court and the judge
> handed down a $1,500
> fine.
>
> If the speeder wants to contest a fine, they always
> have the option of
> coming to court, Garrison said. Offenses on the
> Parkway are heard in
> federal court, as the Parkway is federal property.
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