MORGANTOWN, W.Va. The first cases involving the pedestrian and vehicle safety ordinance in Monongalia County have been adjudicated. The ordinance is the first of it’s type in the state designed to promote safety within the rights-of-ways on public roads.
Chief Monongalia County Magistrate Jim Nabors levied a fine of $200 plus court costs each following “no-contest” pleas from John Hayes, 49, and Lindsey Eddy, 30.
Commissioners in Monongalia County passed the measure in October 2023 following numerous reports of “close calls” caused by people soliciting motorists from the median areas of busy intersections.
“The number one priority is safety, and I’m very pleased the sheriff’s department is following the law,” Bloom said.
Details and locations of the violations were not released, but the ordinance specifies a $100 fine for a first offense.
“The magistrate must have looked at the situation, and it was probably multiple times that these individuals were clearly breaking the law,” Bloom said.
These are the first cases that have moved through the courts, but Bloom said Granville and Star City are also enforcing the ordinance.
“I do know that Star City, Granville, and Westover have been enforcing their ordinances, and now it’s time for the city of Morgantown to start their laws up around the Walmart,” Bloom said.
Bloom is concerned that areas that are not enforced will become havens once people learn about the areas where ordinances are not enforced. Avoiding another accident like the one at the Pierpont Center that injured one person in the median is the priority for Bloom and commissioners.
“The city has an ordinance, and they need to start enforcing it,” Bloom said. “If you have three of the four governments enforcing it and not the fourth, that’s why you’re seeing so many people over there.”