The in basket: Rebecca Copenhaver asks, “How does one fail to pay at a toll booth?

“I received a citation in the mail,” she said, “with a snapshot of my license plate, saying I was believed to have gone through the toll booth at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge without paying.  

“Is this even possible? I picture myself in some action movie, high-speed chase, blowing through the little arm at mach speed. It makes no sense …  I have asked for my day in court, but would like to know if this actually happens,” she said.

The out basket: Janet Matkin of the toll-collecting office at the bridge said she can’t discuss an individual case due to privacy restrictions, but can describe things that can lead to this accusation. 

“A driver may receive a citation when using the manual toll lanes because: (1) they do not have the cash, credit card, or debit card to pay the toll; or (2) they have insufficient funds in their debit account; or (3) their credit card may be declined when the transaction is processed later in the day; or (4) they may have a security program associated with their credit card that does not allow a transaction without a signature. 

“In order to avoid a citation,” Janet said, “drivers using the manual toll lanes are encouraged to pay cash, use a valid credit card, or ensure they have sufficient funds in their account. 

“Any customer who thinks they have received a citation in error is encouraged to contact the Good To Go! customer service center at 1-866-936-8246 to have the citation researched,” she added.

She could say she’d looked into Rebecca’s case and “do know that her citation(s) appear to be valid.”

The in basket: My wife, The Judybaker, asked me if driving with one’s dome light or other interior illumination on in the vehicle is against the law. We both have been told that it’s not a good idea, but I didn’t know the answer to her question.

The out basket: Krista Hedstrom, spokeswoman for the State Patrol detachment in Bremerton, says, “There is not a law that states that it is illegal to drive with the dome light on.  However, it is harder for a driver to see outside of their

vehicle when dark if they have their dome light on, so it is not

recommended.  

“There are several models of pickup trucks that have a bright white light on

the outside of the truck above the rear window,” Krista continued, “that comes on with the

dome light, which is designed to illuminate the bed of the pickup. Having

that light on IS illegal, and could result in a $124 fine.

“Anyone who has ever been behind a pickup truck with the outer dome light on should know how extremely bright they are,” she said.”

  “White light

illuminated to the rear”  is the infraction, which more commonly occurs with broken tail lights, allowing the plain bulb inside to be seen.

The in basket: Merwin Linsley of Central Kitsap wasn’t happy when he got a notice from the Good to Go! folks who collect Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls saying he’ll be charged $1.50 a month for his statements in the future, which he can avoid by getting his by e-mail.

“I don’t have a computer and a lot of other people don’t, too.” he protested.

The out basket. About 28,000 account holders have been getting there statements in the mail since the bridge opened, at no charge until now, says Janet Matkin of Good to Go!.

“It was a means of ensuring that customers were familiar and comfortable with the way the electronic toll collection would work,” she said. “The intention was always to begin charging for statements after the first year.” The terms and conditions all of us received with our transponders said a fee could be applied.

The state has been looking hard at ways to cut costs to lessen pressure for toll increases. I’m sure that reducing the number of mailed statements, and charging $1.50 for those that remain, was an obvious cost-cutting measure. 

The statements will be mailed quarterly from now on, not monthly, so it will come to $6 a year, the equivalent of about two crossings in tolls, for people like Merwin. The first such charge, to be deducted from the individual’s pre-paid account and credited to the same account as the tolls, will begin in December.

The amount was set in April 2007,  Janet said, and is in the Washington Administrative Code.

Merwin and others like him can save the $1.50 by forgoing his statements altogether, Janet said. He can phone 1-866-936-8246 for a verbal report. And, of course, he can get a computer and go online, and get the no-charge e-mailed statements.

The in basket: In the previous Road Warrior, we looked at claims that the yellow lights at some of the Bremerton intersections where cameras record red light violations are unfairly short. 

The inquiry led me to the court of Bremerton Municipal Judge Pro Tem Amanda Harvey for a calendar of red light enforcement hearings, where I was enlightened and surprised by some of the things I saw.

The out basket: John Hamby of Central Kitsap was among those hoping to avoid the $124 fine for running a red light, on northbound Warren Avenue at 11th Street in his case.

John was reluctant to concede that the video of his infraction, which he watched in the court office before seeing it in the courtroom, showed that he was guilty. But the video showed him getting the standard three seconds of yellow and then just missing getting into the intersection before it turned red.

Judge Harvey tells those who appear before her that if they contest the ticket and lose that she will impose the full $124. Those who “mitigate” it, conceding the violation but offering an explanation, may have the fine reduced.

John saw the way the wind was blowing and “mitigated,” as did everyone else in court that day who had been caught by a cameras running the red light. Harvey knocked off $34 from his fine. I didn’t see anyone who mitigated not receive at least $34 off. One white-haired woman got a $64 reduction.

Elected Municipal Court Judge Jim Docter tells me what I saw was pretty typical of what occurs in camera court each day.

Bremerton Finance Officer Cathy Johnson says revenue from the cameras is keeping up with expectations anyway. It came to $546,000 from April through September, she said. Also as expected, the number of tickets per month has dropped, which proponents will regard as a sign of success for the program. 

Many of the tickets were dismissed the day I was in court. Those drivers testified under oath that they weren’t in the car at the time of the infraction. Some said a friend or relative had the car, or that it was in the shop and probably was out for a test drive at the time.

Harvey universally dismissed every ticket upon such a claim from the car owner. I’m told the city doesn’t check on the truth of those excuses. But if a person somehow got caught lying, he or should could be charged with perjury, a felony with a much steeper penalty than $124.

I was struck by the large number of tickets issued for a right turns on red, in which the driver didn’t come to a complete stop. There were a lot more of them than those for running a red light while proceeding through the intersection or turning left.

A Chinese fellow who needed an interpreter to make his case alibied that he’d watched since he was cited and that  everyone rolls through the 11th and Warren right turn just like he did. Perhaps so, Harvey said, but it’s still illegal. She cut his fine by $44.

I realize that I often am just shy of a complete stop when I make such turns, especially when a complete stop would mean a pack of approaching cars on the intersecting street would then keep me from making the turn until they had all passed.

I have had to remind myself to do it legally, especially at the camera-enforced intersections in Bremerton. 

I also learned that the cameras record the speed of the cars, but that can’t be used to support a speeding citation. It’s part of how the camera knows when to record a violation.

The in basket: Rachel Rogers thinks all the housing development, completed or yet to come, near McCormick Woods in South Kitsap have created a need for more speed limit signs on Anderson Hill Road. 

“How does one go about requesting additional speed limit signs be placed on a road?” she asked. “In the past year, I know several people who have received speeding tickets on Anderson Hill Road. However, there are only two speed limit signs on the road, one southbound, immediately after you turn onto the road from Old Clifton Road and the other northbound, immediately after you enter the road from Highway 3.  

“If you enter Anderson Hill from a side street or miss the speed limit sign when you turn onto the road,” she said, “you have no idea what the speed limit is.  

“With the increase in traffic due to The Ridge and a future increase due to the community being built behind The Ridge, it would seem smart to increase the signage on this road so that drivers new to the area are obeying the speed limit.  

The out basket:  Kitsap County Public Works will review the situation, says Jeff Shea, it’s traffic engineer, but he sounds skeptical about the benefits of adding signs. 

“A motorist would have had to pass a speed limit sign coming from Old Clifton or Highway 16 to get to a side street, and would have been aware of the speed limit,” he said. “Our policy is to sign speed limits at speed changes and in both directions of significant side roads.  

“A lot of extra speed limit signs do very little to slow traffic down,” he added. “(But) .  our goal is awareness of the speed limit by the public. Based on new development in the area and along Anderson Hill we will review your reader’s request to see if additional signs are warranted.”

The answer to Rachel’s initial question, about where to request additional speed limit signs on Kitsap County roads, is the same as for those seeking lowered (or raised) speed limits, roadside brush cutting or any other change. Call the county’s Open Line, at (360) 337-5777.