I-405 through Kennydale is empty in this September 10, 2023 photo, as freeway traffic detours its way through Renton streets, during one of the contractor’s many disruptive and burdensome closures during the past few years.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) just announced the I-405 Renton to Bellevue widening project has fallen a year and a half behind schedule. We’re just being told now, a few weeks before the “2025 expected completion” date that WSDOT had been sharing on their website for years.
Perhaps the worst part of the planned delay is that it will now stretch through TWO more summers, with presumably the same random full-freeway closures that we’ve endured the past few summers. These freeway closures have created unexpected traffic jams throughout Renton and the eastside that make it very challenging to create and keep weekend travel plans. The closures and jam-ups also make it difficult for residents to access emergency rooms and pharmacies when they need to.
Our State Department of Transportation needs to crack down on the contractor’s use of full freeway closures as part of their discussions with the contractor about the new timeline. Twenty years ago such full closures were virtually unheard of; meticulous planning would enable freeways to be worked on a lane at a time. But this past summer it felt like the freeway contractors were throwing random full-closures of a north or south direction at us every other weekend– and the unofficial detour routes always went through our neighborhoods, keeping us virtually stuck at home.
Below is a screenshot of the Washington State Department of Transportation blog entry announcing the delay.
Even when the freeway lanes are not closed, the construction is causing jams, even during non-peak hours. This photo on Saturday July 19th at noon (taken by my passenger) shows a typical off-peak stop-and-go slowdown on I-405.
The City of Renton’s current logo, shown above, includes images representing Renton’s significance as the birthplace of commercial jet aviation, the headquarters of the Seattle Seahawks, and the host of one of our region’s key salmon runs.
The City of Renton is considering dumping the images in the City’s logo that set our community apart from others. At last Monday’s Committee of the Whole Meeting, the Council was presented with a staff proposal to “refresh” and “simplify” the City’s logo. The proposed new logo would drop the airliner, football, and salmon from the logo. The new logo would appear as in the picture below.
The proposed new logo removes the Renton-specific icons, and just keeps one of the two generic four-pointed stars in the current logo.
Dropping community-focussed images is a departure from our neighboring cities’ approach, as well as a change to Renton’s approach of the last 60 years. Below are some logos from nearby cities, including images like a sailboat conjuring Des Moines’ impressive waterfront, a waterfall representing Snoqualmie, a tree-covered island for Mercer Island, a maple leaf for Maple Valley, and trees and mountains and water images for other cities.
Our neighboring cities use icons of waterfalls, trees, sailboats, mountains and even a maple leaf to project their community in their logo.
As a career airplane designer, I feel a special connection to the commercial airliner in Renton’s logo, as it recognizes our city’s importance as the world’s birthplace of commercial jet aviation. The salmon in the logo acknowledges Renton’s natural environment. and the significance of our Cedar River as home to the largest natural-origin Chinook Salmon run in the Lake Washington Watershed, as well as a key spawning ground for Coho and Sockeye salmon. The football (which I half expected to soon see paired with a soccer ball) reflects our identity as a headquarters for professional sports, and Renton’s overall support of recreation and entertainment.
This chart shows the evolution o Renton’s logos during the decades. The first Renton-specific icons were added to the logo 60 years ago.The presentation to City Council justifies the change as a “simplified design.”
The Committee of the Whole briefing is not the final word on this topic. Before the decision becomes final, the Council has to formally pass legislation implementing the simplified logo.
[Update 2/3] Fortunately, several council members expressed concerns about the proposal, and have so far prevented this staff proposal from advancing. Ed Prince was very vocally against the logo change, along with Ruth Pérez & James Alberson and Valerie O’Halloran. Two members were absent from the discussion. The topic has so far not been reported out of committee.
The full details of the proposal can be found here, as well as the staff’s proposed phase-in plan. Anyone with an opinion on this issue can write to the Council at council@rentonwa.gov, or write to the Mayor at mayor@rentonwa.gov.
An 18-inch gap under the security fence is large enough for adults and children to easily access the dangerous Garden Plaza buildings (often referred to as Park Avenue building). People are also using the retaining wall (on the far right) to step over the barbed wire here.
Every time I’ve driven past the derelict Garden Plaza buildings I’ve easily spotted one or more holes in the security fence. Everytime these failings are brought to the City’s attention, City leaders insist that permanent repairs by the building’s owner are imminently forthcoming, or an all-new fence is about to be installed that will be far more more impassible and secure than the previous one. But the result is always the same.
The latest barbed-wire-topped fence was the subject of a September Renton Reporter article, in which the Mayor addressed on-going neighborhood concerns about this building. The mayor assured the public the city had issued a firm deadline for construction of this new fence which was supposed to be “unscalable” (the article said “upscalable,” which I assume was a typo.)
I easily spotted the current fence openings from the road. A large gap at the bottom of the fence near a staircase provides enough room for even an adult to easily slide under; the bare spot in the fallen leaves shows the gap is in use. For those trespassers that don’t want to slide under, the concrete retaining wall enables intruders to take a large step over the barbed wire above the gap; the sagging barbed wire shows this is happening.
The public has been promised that this property would be secured. The unsecured property full of broken glass, open drops, and biohazards continues to be a deadly risk to curious children and people seeking shelter. It’s also a severe fire hazard for the neighborhood, and thrown objects from these buildings have put motorists at risk.
The owners of this property have had years to comply with city requirements. They are making a mockery of Renton’s code enforcement. Strong code enforcement could have saved these buildings when they first went into disrepair; now we need strong code enforcement to protect human safety.
The code requires all the doors and windows be secured on vacant buildings, with either their original materials or architectural panels that match the building design. It also requires that fire protection systems be maintained. The code includes no exceptions or special privileges just because the building might be torn down in the future. At some point every building will eventually be torn down– but it still has to meet code in the meantime. If the owners won’t do the work to meet codes, the city should do the work and bill the owners for it, putting a lien on the property if necessary–which is allowed under the law.
If you want to help you can email the Council and Mayor, and insist that code enforcement be taken seriously on these dangerous and blighted buildings: Send emails to: council@rentonwa.gov and mayor@rentonwa.gov.
For further background on this property and the relevant codes, click here.
This retaining wall provides an opportunity for intruders to step over the fence at the top of the stairs; the sagging wire shows it is happening.These buildings are dangerous! No one should be entering this building site without authorization and appropriate protective equipment. Even standing next to the buildings could be deadly due to falling glass and debris.
The Renton Airport Advisory Committee discusses the increase of nighttime jet traffic over Mercer Island at the Committee’s September 9 meeting.
The Renton Airport Advisory Committee discussed intensifying noise concerns at their third-quarter September 9 meeting, and the link to the zoom recording of the meeting was just made available. The video can be watched here.
The noise discussion starts at 43 minutes, first with some questions by Jeff Dineen (representing South Renton and RAAC vice-chair) regarding how pilots get trained on noise abatement procedures, followed by an intense discussion of overnight jet traffic over Mercer Island. Tom Imrich (representing Mercer Island and a highly-experienced commercial jet pilot) makes the case that too many of the takeoffs are occuring at just a few-hundred feet above Mercer Island’s tree-tops at all hours of the night, and that a higher take-off profile or an east-channel (over-water) departure route should be invoked to spare Mercer Island’s neighborhoods from the noise and safety risks of the low-flying jet traffic.
The RAAC discussion covers some of the concerns that precipitated a firm letter from Mercer Island’s Mayor to the Renton Airport Director in September.
The video and draft meeting minutes were made available in conjunction with the announcement for the fourth quarter RAAC meeting, to be held on November 18th at 5:00 PM. I’ve attached the agenda below. (Meetings of the RAAC are open to the public, although public comment is typically not taken at the meetings.)
In several previous blog entries I’ve expressed concern that a new focus by Renton Airport leadership on inviting jet centers into Renton Airport, diplacing historic small-parts manufacturers and piston-aircraft users, would lead to increasing conflicts of this type. All my earlier blog posts related to Renton Airport and the RAAC can be found here, or by clicking “Airport” in the Category sidebar.
(Standing from left: Tim Schlitzer, Jesse Tanner, Toni Nelson, Randy Corman, Kathy Keolker, Bob Edwards; Seated from left: Mayor Earl Clymer, Dick Stredicke.)
As last-minute voters fill out their ballots for Renton’s caring and talented Mary Clymer (don’t forget!), I thought I would share this photo from when I served with her grandfather Earl Clymer in the mid 1990’s. Earl served 18 years on Council followed by 8 years as Mayor and left a family legacy of service to Renton.
Per the Seattle Times: “As a council member and as mayor, Mr. Clymer was known for his efforts to protect Renton’s aquifer, expand its parks system and senior-citizen services, and attract and retain businesses.”
I’m looking forward to seeing Earl’s granddaughter Mary, who already serves our community in many other ways, carry on Earl’s legacy at Renton City Hall.
From left, me, my wife Cathy, Mary Clymer, and Former Mayor Denis Law at Renton’s Farmers Market
To get the positive, safe future that everyone in Renton deserves, we need a healthy change in Renton Council Position 2. Mary Clymer is ready to be that change. Please vote for Mary by Tuesday, November 4th. She has run a great campaign, and we need to get her across the finish line with a strong voter turnout. Many people have not voted yet. Please return your ballots by Tuesday (either postmarked by Tuesday afternoon or dropped in an official ballot collection box before 8:00 PM), and tell your friends to vote for Mary.
Please read more in my July endorsement announcement here.
The sad news of the pizzeria closing made me think of The Doors lyric “This is the end, beautiful friend,” from one of the countless classic rock songs that provided ambiance in the Rock Wood Fired Pizza in Renton. (It’s not completely the end for the Rock, as their Auburn restaurant will remain open.)
In a sneak peek of their artistically-designed restaurant in April 2009, I said the Rock Wood Fired Pizza felt like Hard Rock Cafe meets Pirates of the Caribbean. I published this blog entry at the time about my excitement for the new Renton restaurant.
I’m saddened to hear this classic-rock-themed restaurant will be closing soon. It’s been the site of countless gatherings with my family and Boeing colleagues through their long and melodious run at the Landing.
Thank you to the owners and staff of the Rock for all the great food, drinks (buckets of them), and fun you’ve provided to our community over your 16+ years here in Renton. We will miss you.
SB left an update this morning on my post “Not ‘willing sellers’; forty homes and businesses are being taken by use or threat of eminent domain.” Please click here to read that post for details on this issue.
Here is SB’s Comment: “And as of yesterday, the minority run businesses on the corner of Airport & Logan have been demolished. More lost local businesses. And the general public drives by, unaware their tax dollars, sucked up by the Renton School District, are being used to ruin the lives of their fellow citizens – instead of to improve the education of students.”
Banner for this month’s mailed City newsletterAn article in this month’s City newsletter announces Linebarger Attorney’s new text message system for collecting past-due fines and court fees.
This month’s “Our Renton” newsletter (delivered in our utility bills) includes a message that I would not have approved if I were on Council: “Please note that any text messaging from Linebarger code 98023 is not a scam.”
Text message origination numbers can be spoofed, and all Renton residents should remain extremely cautious about sending money, filling in passwords, or sending personal information to any link that is text-messaged to them. It’s erroneous and dangerous to assure residents that a text coming from any specific number is not a scam. (My son once received a message that came from the official BECU phone number, but was in fact a spoofed account.)
To make matters worse, the subject text messages will not come from the City of Renton, which has local offices and phone numbers for verifying legitimacy, but instead a Texas-based law firm/ collection agency that collects delinquent fines and court fees for profit. This puts the City in the position of trying to convince residents that city payments can be made to an out-of-state entity with a hard-to-remember name, as long as the text message appears to come from a (spoofable) code.
This is a dangerous message. We should all be reminding our vulnerable residents NOT to sign into any website links sent to them via text message or email, unless they are absolutely certain that they know who sent them. And even then it is better to personally navigate to official sites, rather than following links, since a friend’s email can be hacked or spoofed.
The City’s mailer says people can go the rentonwa.gov/court for more information, but very few will. For those that do, if they navigate through some links they’ll be able to see what a text message from Linebarger Attorneys will look like:
Renton’s website shows that a text message will be of this form, and include a login link where personal information could be entered. If the information gets entered into a fake website, a scammer would have all they need to shake-down a scam victim.
This is an image from the Linebarger website. This could be cloned, with victims directed to the cloned-site via spoof text messages.
The City apparently put this unfortunate message on their website and in their newsletter because Linebarger Attorneys asked them to. But I think the City should have said “no” to posting Linebarger’s recommended message, and “no” to any text messages that ask Renton residents to follow a text link to remit funds.
In contrast to the City’s message, The National Council on Aging warns readers about the proliferation of text scams and says: “The “don’t click/don’t respond” rule applies even if you recognize the name of the sender (your bank, for example) and think the text message may be real.”
For anyone struggling to pay a fine or court fees, often Renton’s most financially-challenged residents, accidentally paying the fees to a scam artist could be devastating. But many additional people are impacted by this message, far beyond the people that owe fines. By advising people that verifying a text came from a certain number makes it safe, the city is putting all our residents in danger of losing enormous amounts of money, potentially their life savings.
And if anyone loses money to someone spoofing Linebarger’s text number, the fact that the city published “please note that any text messaging from Linebarger code 98023 is not a scam” leaves Renton taxpayers, all of us, vulnerable to covering the losses.
If you suspect you might owe court fines or fees to the City of Renton, you can find a link on the City of Renton website where you can pay them. (For security do your own search, but at the time of this writing this is the link). You should also typically be contacted by US Postal Service Mail with instructions, and you should phone the City if you are uncertain why you are being asked for money (phone numbers are given on the City website). Even if a past-due debt has been sent to collections, the City of Renton should still be able to help you verify whether you truly owe it, and help verify that any payments you make are sent to the right place.
Property taxes on the Garden Plaza buildings on Park Avenue have dropped by almost half a million dollars as the buildings crumble to the ground. The blight is impacting nearby properties, like the new Southport offices, where property taxes have dropped over a million dollars since 2021. This tax burden shifts to homeowners and renters, making housing increasingly unaffordable.This graph shows the past five years of property taxes on my Renton Highlands home. This data can be easily generated for any property in Renton by using the “King County Tax Transparency Tool.”
Like many other Renton homeowners, I’ve seen my property taxes surge 50% in just four years. My 1959 one-story home has a tax-assessed value of $1,003,000, just one percent higher than the King County average assessment of $997,538. But the annual taxes are $3,334 higher than they were four years ago. and they’re likely to go much higher.
In 2001 Washington voters, concerned about being taxed out of their homes, approved initiative 747 to put a “1% cap” on the amount a taxing district could increase taxes. But this cap doesn’t apply when voters approve the increase, and (when applicable) the cap only applies to total taxes collected by a jurisdiction, not to individual properties. So some property owners can see big tax increases when other see reductions, even when the jurisdiction holds to a 1% increase overall. And taxes still go up even when region-wide property values drop. Hence, my 50 percent higher tax bill over four years could become a new pattern, regardless of whether property values go up or down in the future.
What would it look like if this rate of increase was the “new normal”? If we see 50% increases every four years, the way we have in the past four, this is our 20 year outlook:
My home’s property tax if we continue with 50% growth every four years
At the current rate of growth, in twenty years my home’s property taxes would be almost $80,000 per year, heavily impacting my retirement planning. People still working would also struggle– few homeowners could pay a mortgage and support a family with an $80,000 property tax payment. And renters will have the $7000 monthly tax bill added to their rent.
While this looks ridiculous, it could happen if local officials do not relearn the discipline of belt-tightening. The first step will be to admit they have a problem.
The City of Renton portion of my taxes has gone up 39% in the past four years, from $653 to $905. In a Q13 Fox report today, Mayor Pavone erroneously told David Rose: “Property taxes have gone up, but it has nothing to do with the City of Renton.” The Mayor was mistaken. Even with the voter-approved “1% cap” on total annual increases in city property tax collections, residential taxes can go up sharply when taxes drop on business properties like the ruined Park Avenue buildings and the former Red Lion Hotel. A friend of mine who heard the Mayor’s statement quipped, does that mean we don’t have to pay Renton’s increased taxes?
By hovering the cursor over the bars on King County’s Tax Transparency tool, one can quickly see the individual contributors to the taxes. My City of Renton property tax was $653 in 2021, the year I retired from City Council.My City of Renton property tax increased to $905.37 by 2025, a 39% increase in four years.
Taxes across all taxing-districts are rising fast, with no end in sight. After a new King County Parks bond was approved in last month’s primary, Renton School District and Valley Medical Center are both asking Renton voters for more money in this November’s general election. The City of Renton is working on its own Park Bond ballot issue for next year, and Sound Transit feels they are about $30 billion dollars short, and talking about going to the polls for more. The other taxing districts will not be far behind. Our property tax increases are far out-pacing most people’s wage growth, and if our taxes keep rising at the current pace fewer and fewer people will qualify for home purchases or leases. Many more of our current residents will become unhoused.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We were able to actually lower city taxes in the past by diligently managing every penny of our tax revenues, and ensuring we maintained a thriving business climate. Our elected officials must focus on solving problems using the record amounts of money taxpayers are already giving them, not by constantly asking for more.
[Note: updated on September 20 with new second paragraph summarizing state tax structure and “1% cap,” in response to a question by “GoRedhawks!” in the comments ]
The Reserve at Renton income-restricted senior living apartments and the Feast Buffet banquet restaurant sit side-by-side in the Rainier Avenue Fred Meyer Shopping Center. The Reserve also has two businesses located on its ground floor. Tight parking and new parking permit requirements at the Reserve have resulted in senior residents and store customers having their cars towed, seemingly unfairly in many cases; some have allegedly been towed from ADA spots even when displaying state ADA credentials. (Google Map photo for location reference but does not include current signage- see photos below story for signage)Reserve at Renton and Feast Buffet are side-by-side
At last night’s council meeting, five speakers from the audience expressed heartfelt disappointment and frustration about confusing parking permit requirements and recent overzealous towing at the Reserve at Renton Senior Living apartments.
The Reserve at Renton opened in 2015 at a site that had previously been in use for school bus parking, and was once the home of the Renton Food Circus (seven restaurants in one dining complex.) The Reserve also includes two ground floor stores, and is located adjacent to the Feast Buffet banquet restaurant, in Renton’s Fred Meyer Shopping Center on Rainier Avenue.
When the Reserve at Renton opened, there appears to have been an assumption that the large retail lot would ensure adequate parking for everyone. Urban planners at the time were beginning to embrace the idea of getting greater density and parking efficiency through shared parking; the logic being that living units require the most parking in the evening, while retail requires the most parking during the day– so fewer spots are required when they are shared.
But retired residents don’t necessarily leave their homes during the day, and banquet halls can get very crowded, so parking shortages arose. In response, the Reserve at Renton posted permit-only parking signs and issued limited parking permits. Any resident or store customer vehicle not displaying the permits could get swiftly towed, apparently even residents or customers parking in ADA spots. The residents of these apartments have limited income, and many speak English as a second language. Several residents reported very challenging efforts to reclaim their cars in Kent, and towing bills ranging from $500-$900. Some reported missing medical appointments from the disruption.
I hope they can get these parking challenges resolved soon, and I think some of the residents deserve refunds.
The situation also serves as a stark reminder that there is a limit to how much Renton can reduce parking and still maintain peace in our city. It is not reasonable to assume every senior resident can safely walk to and from transit stops, and take 2-3 hour bus trips to get to their medical appointments; they need adequate parking, and so do their caregivers.
Here is a youtube video of last night’s public comment. The testimony about this topic begins at 25:09.
A Google Earth view of the Reserve next to the Feast Buffet and Fred Meyer Shopping Center.
Additional photos of the site, which include the recently added signage, can be seen by clicking below:
Everyone who’s enjoyed the Universal Studios Tour in Los Angeles can tell you about the Hollywood magic that can make you believe a facade is a whole building. The Courthouse in “Back to the Future” is a good example.
Our historic Renton High School will soon be another example of this type of illusion, with engineers and architects working to figure out how to support the front facade of the building while tearing down the building behind it.
The “Back to the Future” courthouse, seen from above
But voters did not ask for our century-old Renton High School building to be reduced to a Hollywood false front. Voters clearly wanted the building saved. The November 2022 ballot directed voters to the School District website for details about the ballot issue, which explicitly read “We will not take down the current Renton High School (we will continue to find uses for this building).”
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Hot Mix Asphalt Plant Emission Assessment Report provides the pounds-per-year of pollutants expected from typical asphalt plants.
In our toxic world, the only safe drinking water is that which evaporates from the ocean, condenses in a cloud, and drops as rain or snow in a clean, natural environment. This is what Seattle drinks, and it is what Renton residents deserve as well.
Treated industrial runoff will never be healthy drinking water. Industrial runoff is treated to a level that will minimize harm to wildlife as the water returns to the ocean. It’s not treated to a standard that makes it safe enough for human consumption. Only evaporation and condensation will make treated industrial runoff safe to drink again.
With their proposed new Asphalt plant, Lakeside Industries is planning to remove about 30-60% of the contaminants from their runoff using onsite treatment. They will then inject the remaining waste-water, still containing 40-70% of some of the worst pollutants, into Renton’s sole source aquifer. This is per poor instructions from the County, in a flawed approval process that has acknowledged the responsibility to protect salmon but not Renton’s residents.
Airborne contaminants from asphalt production will settle on equipment and pavement throughout Lakeside’s industrial site. Rainstorms will flush the poisons into a central catch basin, along with waste water from hosing down equipment and pavement. Contaminants will include toxins like benzene, arsenic, lead, and mercury, along with dangerous PAHs that can cause cancer and autoimmune diseases, including fatal blood diseases. Approximately half of the deadliest contaminates, those that are fully dissolved into the drinking water, will pass right through the “Enhanced basic” on-site filtration system–by design.
King County has required Lakeside to meet an “enhanced basic” standard in treating their runoff, which lets 30-60% of heavy metals pass right through. The partial-treatment comprises an oil separator, a sand vault, and a small retention pond. The 50% or so of dangerous contaminants that flow right through these simple systems will be infiltrated into our aquifer recharge zone.
There’s widespread misunderstanding about the capability of the on-site system to clean the water. The treated water is considered too dirty to dump in the Cedar River. Renton should not allow water deemed too dirty for the Cedar River to be intentionally pumped into our sole source aquifer.
I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Renton Police Guild. In informing me of this endorsement, the Guild President credited my long, successful track record of working with Renton Police on public safety as the basis for their endorsement.
As a Renton City Council Member for 28 years, I helped fund and hire needed police personnel most of the years I was on council, and did my best to protect police personnel from layoffs during recession periods. Hiring through the years included patrol officers, detectives, evidence technicians, crime analysts, DV victim advocate, K9 units, and others who work day and night to keep our community safe. The overall police department and the city itself more than doubled in size while I served on council.
Many years ago I helped develop and implement improved recruitment and hiring policies to increase the diversity of our new-hires, and help the department reflect the evolving demographics of our city. (This was part of an award-winning city-wide inclusion program that we continually improve and refine as part of the process.)
When our police department outgrew the Mill Avenue Police Station, I helped authorize the funding and construction of our current police station as part of a new city hall complex. More recently I helped add an advanced new Police Training Facility to the complex.
During my years of service on council I consistently embraced technology to improve officer safety and effectiveness, such as modern vehicles, improved communication systems, non-lethal weapon options, and ever-improving forensic/investigation equipment.
I also helped draft numerous changes to city ordinances and advocated for changes to state laws as needed to improve the safety and security of all the residents of our city. I worked closely in partnership with our residents, our city attorney, elected colleagues, and our police in adjusting these laws. When drafting laws and setting policy, I always kept my eye on our ultimate public safety goals while also working to exhaustively anticipate the fairness, public burden, enforceability, and possible unintended consequences of any new laws we passed.
I am eager to bring my experience, care and diligence back to Renton City Council. I’m grateful to Renton Police for giving me their support in my 2023 campaign.
Note: A few hours after I published this article, State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Rick Johnson posted a public plea for drivers to please slow down, as State Patrol was responding to non-stop collisions, and had responded to 66 accidents in King County since yesterday.
The Washington Highway Safety Commission data demonstrate the continuing need for police safety patrol of our streets and highways, even if some legislators think there should be less of it. As shown in the May 2023 data above, speeding and failure to wear seatbelts have been contributing to rapid jumps in highway fatalities, even while deaths from distracted driving and impaired driving have recently been dropping. While nobody likes to get a speeding ticket or seatbelt ticket, this enforcement save lives.
In February I extensively covered the correlation between more-lenient pandemic-era traffic enforcement and a tragic upturn in street and highway fatalities. At the time the Washington State Legislature had already barred police from initiating pursuits of speeding and reckless drivers, and the Legislature was debating House Bill 1513 which would prevent police from even attempting to pull over motorists for seat-belt violations. HB 1513 also would have prevented police from pulling over motorists for broken tail-lights, driving unlicensed vehicles, and other equipment issues –ironically in the name of “safety.”
As I showed in this blog entry, the Legislature must reverse their recent experimentation, and once-again show unified support to our police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers who are trying to conduct reasonable traffic enforcement on our streets and highways. Highway deaths disproportionately hit our younger residents, as well as our lower-paid workers who disproportionately commute longer distances, sometimes late at night, in older vehicles. And for every fatality, there are two or three serious life-altering head-injuries or maimings that will change a victim’s life. A compassionate society would keep the speeds on the streets as safe as possible, stop giving reckless drivers a pass, and remind everyone to wear seatbelts and replace their safety light bulbs when necessary. Letting drivers crash at increasing frequency, in the name of “safety”, is anything but compassionate.
