INTERVIEW – RON MEYER –  Supervisor, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).

• VIRGINIA NOT HAPPY WITH DC FARE EVASION VOTE: The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is not happy with legislation approved by the D.C. City Council to decriminalize fare evasion (“turnstile-hopping”) on the Metro system. Decriminalization “sends the wrong message and is unfair to the overwhelming majority of WMATA’s riders who pay their fares,” NVTC’s executive committee said in a Dec. 11 letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Currently, those who use Metro – rail or bus – in the District of Columbia without paying face a fine of up to $300 and up to 10 days in jail. The D.C. City Council on Dec. 4 voted 10-2 to remove criminal sanctions for using Metro without paying, dropping it to a civil matter with a maximum $50 fine.
• WASHINGTON POST: Year-old 66 Express Lanes have caused shifts in commuter behavior, but not necessarily in ways officials hoped. When the 66 Express Lanes opened a year ago, officials promised the tolls would mean a smoother ride on the interstate, a major east-west thoroughfare from Northern Virginia into the District that is infamous for its headache-inducing congestion. The state’s promise — less congestion and faster travel times during rush hour — has been fulfilled for many commuters able to pay or carpool, but the new toll system has had an adverse effect for many of the remaining road users. “Would most people in the corridor say their commutes have improved? I don’t think so,” said Loudoun County Supervisor Ron Meyer (R-Broad Run). “This tolling system has just made driving impossible and not affordable.”