Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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Funding being sought for 3 new 'road rage' deputies By DAVE HAMRICK
Three new sheriff's deputies would patrol Fayette's roads and streets looking for aggressive driving violations under a proposal on Thursday's County Commission agenda. The Governor's Office of Highway Safety is offering about $300,000 over the grant period of April 2002 through Sept. 30, 2003, with a requirement that the county chip in about $90,000, said Maj. Wayne Hannah of the sheriff's Traffic Enforcement Division. After 2003, the county would have to pick up the cost to continue to program, unless the state decides in the meantime to re-fund the grants. Hannah said the officers would focus on driving under the influence as well as aggressive driving such as following too close, failure to yield right of way and improper passing. "Our records show that, among citations over the last three years, following too close is number one, with failure to yield right of way second," said Hannah. The HEAT (Highway Enforcement Against Aggressive Traffic) grant would provide officers specially trained to spot such aggressive behavior, he said. Three salaries, cars and equipment would be provided for under the grant, he added. In other business Thursday, commissioners are not expected to act on new rules governing the sharing of private driveways, although the item is on the agenda for Thursday's meeting. Commissioner Herb Frady has asked that the item be tabled until the group's March 14 meeting. County officials say a 1993 law requiring that each home in the county have at least 100 feet of road frontage effectively prohibits sharing of driveways. The proposed change in development rules would allow an exception in cases where sight distance would make an additional driveway unsafe. Under the proposed exception, only two residences would be allowed to share. If more than two wanted to share, they would have to build a road that meets county standards. When the county Planning Commission discussed the proposal last month, member Douglas Powell didn't much like the whole idea of prohibiting shared drives. He shares a private drive with several neighbors himself, he said. "I maintain that road with my neighbors because we don't want everybody driving down there," he said. "There's a lot of people that like to live that way." Julian Campbell of the county Engineering Department said the issue is safety. Not only is it often difficult or impossible for fire trucks and ambulances to get down the shared roads, he said, but identifying the various addresses is a problem as well. "We assume a higher degree of risk when it comes to fire fighting and we know that and we pay the premiums," Powell countered. He voted in favor of recommending the proposed changes, though, since they represent a relaxing of current regulations. Residents who already share driveways are not affected by the proposal, or by the 1993 law that prohibits sharing. Commissioners also will consider Russell Welch's request to rezone 4.04 acres from A-R, which allows homes on lots of five acres or more, to R-72 (for single family homes on two-acres lots) to develop two homes. The property is on Homers Place. The county's staff and Planning Commission both recommended approval. Interim objectives and policies to the Fayette County Comprehensive Growth Management Plan, to be used in the developing a Capital Improvement Program, also are on the agenda, but will be continued to the commission's March 6 agenda.
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