
DATE: Wednesday, September 17, 1997         TAG: 9709170033

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Column 

SOURCE: Larry Maddry 

                                            LENGTH:   74 lines

READERS RESPOND: MIXED REACTION TO THE PASSING BAN ON THE BAY BRIDGE-TUNNEL

JUDGING BY the volume of messages received at TalkNet - the opinion forum for Pilot Online, our website on the Internet - readers are very interested in the vehicle passing ban recently enacted on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Readers were asked whether they thought the ban would make the bridge safer and whether they would be more or less likely to use it now.

The reactions were definitely mixed, said Pilot Online editor Mark Edelen. Here are excerpts from opinions expressed by a few of the respondents:

Robert E. Metcalfe: ``I agree with making the entire bridge-tunnel a no passing zone; however, a minimum speed (say 45 mph) should be established and enforced.''

Ray McDaniels: ``The difference in time between 55 mph and 45 mph over the distance of the bridge is only four minutes. The difference is only four minutes at speeds of 55 mph and 65 mph. I would bet the majority of people crossing the Bay Bridge-Tunnel are traveling in excess of one hour. As one can see, there is no real benefit to passing in the first place.

W.M. ``Bill'' Bodnar: ``Having lived in Virginia Beach and taught in the Norfolk public schools for many years and driven a Greyhound bus over the bridge-tunnel, I was very happy to hear of the proposed changes. . . . The expansion joints of the road surface cause your vehicle to hump up and down and require you to have good control of your vehicle. To add passing only increases the individual's chances of having an accident.''

Duane Dowdy: ``Why not give out a free Coke before crossing the bridge that includes a five-minute safety briefing on what to expect when crossing, the dangers of driving too slow, driving through tunnels, and the safe way to deal with faster drivers.''

Russ Ely: ``WHEN I USE THE TUNNEL, I DO NOT PASS TRUCKS - I WAIT FOR THEM. I STAY BACK FAR ENOUGH TO SAVE MY WINDSHIELD AND USE THEM AS A BARRIER TO PREVENT HEAD-ONS! SEEMS TO WORK.''

Frank Morrison: ``When are the legislators going to realize they can't legislate intelligence? Or morality? The mistaken concept that passing is the problem is ridiculously stupid. PASSING ISN'T THE PROBLEM! SLOW DRIVERS ARE!''

Liz Keese: ``I am writing from Massachusetts with family in Virginia Beach. My son and his girlfriend were recently involved in a rollover about 14 miles before the bridge. If it had happened on the bridge, I don't know what would have come of it. I feel that the no passing is the safest way to go.''

Steven Carter: ``I have been living in the area for about 20 years and have been across the bridge many times. The problems I have encountered were slow-moving traffic. More times than not, it was people traveling at a very low speed of 30 miles per hour. . . . Leave the passing lanes open.''

Karen Alexander: ``The passing ban will not make the bridge-tunnel any safer. What you will probably find is people trying to `sneak a pass' without getting caught. Inevitably, there will be someone who's scared to drive on the bridge that will go about 25 mph and cause a traffic jam. . . . Perhaps a better plan would have been to post signs at each end of the tunnel stating how many people have died this year trying to pass on the bridge and urging extra caution.''

THERE`S SOMEONE YOU KNOW HERE. Linda Martinez, writer for the Ventura County Star, has collected some observations about types of folks who may be working in your office. Here we go:

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer

Got into the gene pool while the lifeguard wasn't watching.

A room-temperature I.Q.

A photographic memory, but the lens cover is glued on.

Bright as Alaska in December.

During evolution his ancestors were in the control group.

Fell out of the family tree.

Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.

Has two brains: one is lost and the other is out looking for it.

He's so dense, light bends around him.

If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week.

If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean.