This War Is Going To Take Many Turns . . . And The Enemy Must Be Defeated On Every Battlefield

Those who block the box are indeed vile scum but is it really possible just to change the infraction from a “moving” to a “nonmoving” violation (they’re still moving, right?)? Or maybe no one cares* . . . this, as Hizzoner’s War on Congestion rolls along unimpeded:

Ticketing drivers who block intersections would become much easier under a plan announced yesterday by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg as part of a broader attack on traffic congestion.

At the same time, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the city is adding 117 enforcement agents to direct traffic at busy intersections throughout the city.

Under the proposal to deter drivers from blocking an intersection, the infraction, now a moving violation, would be reclassified as a nonmoving violation to simplify issuing tickets, the mayor said. The change, which requires Albany approval, would allow traffic enforcement agents to issue tickets to be mailed later by entering a license plate number into a handheld device. Currently, only police officers and a small number of enforcement agents can issue summonses, which must be given out at the scene.

The new system would reduce the severity of the offense, which now carries a $90 fine and two points on a driver’s license. Under the new proposal, a driver would not incur points but would face a fine of $115. Authorizing all agents (there are currently 2,800) to issue tickets would sharply increase enforcement, officials said.

“One of the major causes of gridlock occurs when drivers decide to cross an intersection even though there is no room for them on the other side,” the mayor said at a Times Square news conference. With the changes, he added, “we’ll be able to increase the number of tickets we issue, which will ultimately discourage more people from breaking the law.”

*Q: Is that legal? A: Do I care?