Politics & Government

Snellville Man Takes Peach Pass Anger to Facebook, Government

Victor Ramkissoon has joined the anti-HOT lanes fray, starting a Facebook page and sending letters to leaders.

Victor Ramkissoon is peeved, and so are his new 3,700-plus Facebook friends.Β 

The 28-year-old resident, like so many others in Georgia, are annoyed, no angered, by the entire pay-to-play Peach Pass conundrum on roads now known simply as

It started back in July when he created the Facebook page, Against the Georgia Peach Pass, because it didn't make any sense to him.

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He and his 30-year-old girlfriend travel Interstate 85 from Snellville -- he all the way to Marietta, and had been hearing that the toll lanes were on their way. With the two of them riding together, they too would be part of the many commuters who would have to pay when before they used to drive in HOV lanes (High-Occupancy Vehicle) for free.

"It ticked us both off," said Ramkissoon, who is from New York.

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So, he created the Facebook page, and he started firing off emails to government leaders: Gena Evans, executive director of the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and , to name a few.

"To me, it was working fine before," he said. "If they want to charge single drivers, that would be fine, but I don't see why they have to charge 2-plus drivers."

"I don't know, I just think they could have kept it the way it was," he added.

At first, no one knew his anti-Peach Pass movement existed. Then, this month with the fervor kicking up as the toll lanes became live, his popularity grew and grew.

About October 1, a Saturday, there were maybe four people who "liked" his Against the Georgia Peach Pass page. Then there were 30 people by Monday. Then 190 or so by Tuesday. By Wednesday, the "likes" really started to pour in.

Now, there are more than 3,700 people who "like" his page.

"I said, 'Oh, maybe I should make the page a little prettier now," he said, and then went to adding more links and such for his new voracious fans.

His anger about Georgia's roads isn't just about Interstate 85's toll lanes, it's about GA 400 and traffic, in general. Georgia officials, he said, can't seem to get it right.

It used to be true that GA 400's tolls were going to end, he pointed out. And, then the sunset day came and went for those fees. The traffic in Georgia is out of hand, he added while comparing it to other states that in his opinion have better road connectivity and use of public transportation, like New York where he previously lived.

"I don't know how rush hour starts at 3:30, makes no sense to me," he said. "The best thing they could come up with is keeping one lane and charging for it?"

Having lived in Gwinnett County for most of the past 12 years, Ramkissoon said he didn't even know about the focus groups regarding this toll move. (He questions the government's efforts to let everyone know about having their say-so.)

"If I had known sooner, I would have been angered sooner and done something then," he said.

Ramkissoon recently moved back to Snellville after living in Midtown for a time, and says even if officials hear his -- and a lot of other people's -- anger on the Interstate 85 issue, he doesn't plan on stopping his movement anytime soon.

He and are vowing to stay around, as long as Peach Pass and HOT lanes spread to other areas of Metro Atlanta.

"It's affecting more than just Gwinnett," he said.

If you would like more information on Ramkissoon's anti-Peach Pass initiative, click here to see his Facebook Page.

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