ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603110008
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: LETTERS
On the public television show "At Issue," which aired last Sunday, Ray Pethtel, Virginia Tech's advocate for the "smart" road, argued that the decision to build that highway should be left to the experts.
In this case, he is wrong.
We all know in our gut that experts can be wrong. For example, Robert D. James, an engineer and senior member of Tech's smart road research team, was wrong in a letter printed in The Roanoke Times Jan. 8. His calculations proved that the smart road through Ellett Valley would save even more than the six minutes predicted by the Virginia Department of Transportation for the drive from Blacksburg to Roanoke. He was wrong, because he compared the wrong things. He compared the limited-access smart road with the existing U.S. 460, which has traffic lights and intersections. He should have compared it with Alternative 3A, the four-lane bypass that will connect Blacksburg with Interstate 81 long before the first two lanes of the smart road are open to traffic.
The nuclear power industry offers a wonderful analogy of how residents can know better than the "experts" what is right. Remember when the experts told us that nuclear power was safe and vital to the future of our country?
The experts have not adequately explained why 3A cannot be built to accommodate traffic that would use the smart road, and why smart road research cannot be conducted on existing roads as they are upgraded. Pethtel says the Ellett Valley land is cheap, because he looks at dollar cost. I say it is irreplaceable open space and farmland. Folks, we are dealing with a question of values, not expertise.
Debbie Dull
Eggleston
Tow time in Blacksburg
This is in response to the recent letters regarding downtown Blacksburg's parking situation:
I was in Blacksburg one recent evening for food and entertainment. I parked behind The Cellar in a lot that turned out to be owned by Raines Real Estate. I did not see the "No Parking - Towing Enforced" signs, as they were not lit and it was after 10 p.m. I did see the "Reserved" sign printed on the concrete, but assumed this was relevant to working hours. Since I was not familiar with Blacksburg's night parking etiquette, and I saw no other spaces available, I parked in this lot. I was towed within 15 minutes of parking there by Tek-Tow.
I took a risk, and I paid the price. Actually, at $72, I think I overpaid the price.
I understand the resentment against Tek-Tow expressed in Richard Hunter's letter (Current, Feb. 18). They can set whatever prices they want to, reaping profit off other's misfortune. A parking violation of this sort is often an honest mistake, usually made by out-of-towners, such as myself, who are not aware of Blacksburg's vigorous parking enforcement.
Unfortunately, my experience and Mr. Hunter's were not isolated cases. In the first day of relating my story to others, I learned of three other Floydians who had a similar experience. One had a bill of more than $90 for a van, also towed by Tek-Tow.
I would like to ask Raines Real Estate, owners of the lot mentioned, how it benefits them to have cars towed from their otherwise empty lot in the middle of the night? If it's to assure employees their reserved spots in the morning, why not contract the towing to begin at 5 or 6 a.m.?
This experience, along with the $10 parking meter violation fees, also strictly enforced (Roanoke's is $5), is indeed a deterrent to spending time and money in downtown Blacksburg.
Can the businesses, merchants, Town Council, chamber members and Police Department of Blacksburg work together to ease the parking situation and help the local economy?
Colleen Redman
Floyd
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB