Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 19, 1994 TAG: 9405190146
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
S.S., Roanoke
A: The fall of 1995 is the current start-up date.
That's the same timetable for starting the Peters Creek Road extension, which would connect with Brandon.
The plans keep a commitment Roanoke city officials made with residents of the Brandon Avenue neighborhood to widen Brandon before the Peters Creek traffic is dumped into it.
Brandon will be widened to five lanes for the 1.3 miles between Edgewood Street and the city limits. One lane will be wide enough for bicycles - not a bike lane, but wide enough for cars and bicycles to share.
The Brandon project is scheduled to take 2 1/2 years.
Litter example
Q: When litter or cigarettes are ejected from a vehicle in traffic, is there a number to call and report the license so the driver can be sent a warning letter? What can a citizen do, if anything, about littering?
N.J., Vinton
A: Set a good example.
Bag the litter inside the car until a trash can is handy.
Chances of a police officer's finding and stopping the trash tosser are in the low single digits, given the priority attached to more life-threatening behavior.
Even then, you'd have to be the complaining witness and testify in court; officers cannot write a summons unless they observe the action themselves.
Don't approach the litterer. Nothing good comes out of a one-on-one confrontation.
There used to be a toll-free hot line to Richmond for litter complaints, but two things killed it.
A few license numbers were misread, and some innocent citizens received accusatory letters. A couple of them called their legislators, who called the governor's office, which called the bureaucrats involved.
When a need arose to cut the budget, the toll-free hot line for litter was among the first programs trashed.
Pension tax changed
Q: On Tuesday your column mentioned the pension-tax refund claim by federal retirees, and said the law was changed in 1989 to exclude any levy on pensions of $16,000 or less. That doesn't seem to fit with the taxes I paid this year.
R.T., Bedford
A: That $16,000 tax break on pensions left the state short of revenue and lasted only one year. The legislature changed the law in 1990 and there's no specific tax break for pensions now.
There is an age break, however. Taxpayers over 62 can deduct $6,472; those over 65 are allowed a $12,944 deduction.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB