Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 4, from 2:00 p.m. until about 3:00 p.m. Supervisor Cook will participate in an "Ask Fairfax!" discussion to talk about the dangers of neighborhood speeding and his efforts to help stop it. Questions are already rolling in, and you can submit your questions now, or during the chat, by visiting the Ask Fairfax! page.

Neighborhood speeding is a chronic issue in our area, and Supervisor Cook thinks it's time the Board did more to stop it. Last year police officers gave out 25,526 tickets or nearly 70 per day in Fairfax County. Of course, that's only the people who were caught! This year, police are on pace to hand out even more speeding tickets.

In 2012 the Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Cook's proposal to create a multi-faceted effort to combat speeding and unsafe driving in our neighborhoods. The program is a cost-effective way to reduce unsafe driving in our neighborhoods and protect our families. However the Board has not yet approved the funding to move the program forward. While the FY 2014 budget has already been passed, the Board is about to pass the FY 2013 Carryover Package. Supervisor Cook will be asking his colleagues at the September 10th Board Meeting to use some of these funds to get this important initiative moving.

Supervisor Cook needs your help to show his colleagues how important this issue is. Please take a minute to sign this online petition calling on the Board to act now. Then take a few minutes more to post the petition on your Facebook page and email it to friends in the County.

"police officers gave out 25,526 tickets or nearly 70 per day in Fairfax County"

Thats it 70 per day, not much considering the size of the force and a dedicated motorcycle unit.

I wish they had the manpower to run radar 24/7. Anything to slow these stupid motherfuckers down.

My street is 25mph, but it is also a cut through between major roads, so the motherfuckers fly.

I'm not guessing either. I have a radar gun from my drag boat days and I've pointed it at traffic on my street and the readings seem to average about 45 mph on up to 80 mph. In a fucking 25 mph zone!

PLEASE write these bastards a ticket, Mr Cook!

I guess if the cops spend their days writing speeding tickets then they won't have time to bring out the sherman tanks and murder people in their own homes.

Much as I'd love to see some traffic enforcement in my neighborhood, the reality is that they won't be catching people cutting through at 45-50 mph or people doing illegal passing on blind curves. They will be getting some resident doing under 35 or someone who does California stops at otherwise empty intersections.

agree with bill n.

cops aren't going to go to the neighborhood streets where every 10 minutes somebody barrels thru at 50mph, just asking to kill a kid. they're going to camp the main thoroughfares where people are constantly doing 45 in the 35.

i'm all for more neighborhood enforcement, but we all know the cops will go where the quotas are.

Bill.N. Wrote:
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> Much as I'd love to see some traffic enforcement
> in my neighborhood, the reality is that they won't
> be catching people cutting through at 45-50 mph or
> people doing illegal passing on blind curves.
> They will be getting some resident doing under 35
> or someone who does California stops at otherwise
> empty intersections.

No problem. If I'm running stop signs and speeding, even in my own neighborhood, give me a ticket.

PS: You will not get a ticket for going 34 in a 25 mph zone. A cop I know tells me that is department policy.

This is a great program. More citations equals better quality of life.

I hope he's serious. Wrote:
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> PS: You will not get a ticket for going 34 in a 25
> mph zone. A cop I know tells me that is
> department policy.

If a copy is planted in a neighborhood, he will be writing tickets for something. If he isn't writing them for someone doing 34, it is because he is nailing people for doing 39.

True Story: One day I was in court when a cop said he was running Lidar and was instructed to pull people doing 10 over. I ran into him afterwards in the hall and asked what happened if everyone was doing less than 10 over. He said "Then I'll start writing tickets for expired plates and inspections". Spend some time in traffic court and you'll see a fair number of less than 10mph speeding tickets.

Just try to drive down rolling road between the parkway and old Keene mill at 30 mph.

I feels like you are standing still.

Yea it's such a pressing issue and is so dangerous. I can't go an evening without hearing about all the deaths and accidents caused by neighborhood speeding. Oh wait..

Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Much as I'd love to see some traffic enforcement
> in my neighborhood, the reality is that they won't
> be catching people cutting through at 45-50 mph or
> people doing illegal passing on blind curves.
> They will be getting some resident doing under 35
> or someone who does California stops at otherwise
> empty intersections.


Sadly this is true. The vast majority of tickets wont have any impact on safety. They dont sit in neighborhoods, they sit on roads and ticket people going the speed of traffic

I live on a 25 mph cut through road between two major roads in my area. The police station lets out on my road. You know the number 1 speeder on my road? Hypocrites.

Whatthehell... Wrote:
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> I live on a 25 mph cut through road between two
> major roads in my area. The police station lets
> out on my road. You know the number 1 speeder on
> my road? Hypocrites.


Wait you have observed hypocrites being the #1 speeders? I wish I knew more about people speeding by me. Now I am wondering if they're hypocrites.

This. Changes. Everything.

Oh you meant the cops?

what a friggin waste of money...............

who are these 250 idiots?


Board Approves Funding for Supervisor Cook's Speeding Initiative
Supervisor Cook's request to fund a public awareness and traffic calming campaign aimed at reducing neighborhood speeding and unsafe driving was approved by the Board of Supervisors at today's meeting, marking the latest victory in a years-long struggle against dangerous driving in the County.

Supervisor Cook enlisted the help of the community in getting the funding approved for his carryover request. An online petition resulted in more than 250 signatures from community members, and a flood of emails supporting his fight.

"I hear from constituents consistently about speeding and unsafe driving in their neighborhoods, and I'm glad the Board has taken a step to address the problem. This funding should be just the start of Fairfax County's enhanced campaign against the dangers of speeding," Supervisor Cook said.

The Board voted to use $350,000 in carryover money to implement a public awareness and traffic calming campaign previously designed by County staff at Supervisor Cook's request.

The public awareness effort is expected to use traditional and online media to communicate the dangers of speeding in neighborhoods, and asks residents to commit to voluntary compliance with speed limits and safe driving practices. Supervisor Cook will ask civic and homeowners associations to join in this effort to lead our residents in a shared commitment to slow down and drive safely in our neighborhoods.

$200,000 of the approved funding will be used for traffic calming measures, such as speedbumps and stop signs, in areas with frequent speeding issues at the request of residents. State funding for traffic calming ended recently and these funds would close some of the gap until state funding is restored.

"This effort is a first step. Greater traffic enforcement and enhanced technology for our police should be addressed in the years to come. But most importantly this effort calls on our residents to work together for the benefit of the community as a whole," Supervisor Cook said.