
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 26, 1993                   TAG: 9305270313
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TRUCKS SHOULD HANG RIGHT

WHILE IT is fortunate that the state plans to widen sections of Interstate 81 to six lanes, alleviating some of that road's burden, there is a simple measure that may give temporary relief to the dangerous congestion we now find between Roanoke and Montgomery County.

As I live in Blacksburg and work in downtown Roanoke, I have an opportunity to observe sources of many of the traffic problems. One source of congestion is the high number of tractor-trailers. U.S. 460 and I-81 carry a disproportionate number of trucks, and they are vital to this region's economy. But they do tend to be major traffic problems, especially on the interstate or at the stoplight-sprinkled stretch of U.S. 460 between Blacksburg and Christiansburg.

These trucks slow traffic by law (they are allowed to drive no faster than 55 mph) and by nature (they cannot accelerate quickly). Their presence in the left-hand lane stops traffic flow, especially at a hilly stoplight or when passing another truck on a grade. I believe regulations limiting trucks to the right lane on major arteries in Roanoke and Montgomery County, while likely slowing trucks slightly, would increase safety on the roads and decrease travel time needed.

I know this is a radical notion, yet I hope the Virginia Department of Transportation will investigate its merits. JON SMIBERT BLACKSBURG

by CNB