THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 4, 1994 TAG: 9411030159
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: The Road Warrior
SOURCE: The Road Warrior
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
I don't know about you, but Road still has a candy hangover from the week's Halloween festivities. Road doesn't want to see another Tootsie Roll for a long, long time.
The only thing that makes candy and transportation relative is that everyone's so bloated no one's been too creative on the column topic front. Which means this week we're dipping into the Virginia Department of Transportation's candy, er, mail bag to see what they have going.
Among the offerings:
VDOT is holding a series of workshops around the state to inform folks about a program that offers about $7 million for projects that ``add to the community and environmental value of Virginia's transportation network.''
The feds have established 10 categories for projects - additional facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists; acquisition of scenic easements and scenic or historic sites; development of scenic or historic highway programs; landscaping or other scenic beautification; historic preservation, rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings, structures or facilities; preservation of abandoned railway corridors; control and removal of outdoor advertising; archaeological planning and research; and pollution mitigation due to highway run-off.
Basically, anyone can apply for a grant having to do with one of these 10 categories. The closest workshop in Hampton Roads will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 15 at Tidewater Community College's Portsmouth Campus, 7000 College Drive in Suffolk.
The workshop will clue folks in about participating and applying for these grants. They've already awarded $28 million to 87 projects.
A travelers survey is also under way. About 20,000 folks throughout Virginia will be mailed surveys about recent travels and the factors that led to their mode of travel. The survey is part of a study to evaluate the feasibility of a rail passenger service between Bristol and Washington and Bristol and Richmond.
Those actually using the roads also will be questioned when their license plates are surveyed on the major highways between Bristol and Washington.
It doesn't stop there. Folks passing through airports and bus terminals in Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg and Bristol also will be included in the survey along with passengers on Amtrak trains.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints
Charlotte Garber, no address given. I wonder why we have to avoid going through Constitution Drive at Jeanne Street? People have gone around those yellow domes to go straight on Constitution Drive and they had policemen stopping these cars. What a waste of policemen.
I wish they would take those (beep) barriers off the road to allow us to go straight down Constitution Drive to Independence. Why do they have this place blocked off?
RW: Well, Charlotte, the folks who live on and around Constitution didn't want 20,000 cars cruising through their neighborhood every day, hence the traffic pattern change.
Personally, Road has to go to great pains to sidestep those domes, just like everyone else (including residents) who want to get in the neighborhood.
Sure, it's a little irritating but Road refuses to take the main roads. I figure it's a public street and Road's a member of the public, so Road has the right to traverse the whole neighborhood if I want (as long as I'm following the traffic laws, which Road is always careful to do).
What's really ridiculous is the turns at Jeanne Street onto and off of Constitution. The lanes are so thin and the turning radius so small that Road has left more than one rubber mark on the curbing there.
Fleming, Virginia Beach. I think we need to remind drivers of the right of way problem here. In particular, I'm concerned with drivers making a right turn after a stop at a red light or failing to yield to traffic making a legal U-turn on the roadway that they're entering.
The problem is particularly acute one block west of the Witchduck/Princess Anne intersection. The street called Overland. Traffic heading east on Princess Anne often uses that intersection to make a U-turn to go back west on Princess Anne, but the traffic coming out of Overland and making a right on Princess Anne continually cuts them off and won't allow them to make a U-turn. It really creates a hazard especially in the morning traffic.
RW: If there's one gripe Road has about area drivers it's that they have no clue as to right of way. It's not only U-turn situations, it's also bad with left turns that must yield to oncoming traffic. No one in this area seems to grasp either one of those rules! Maybe it wasn't offered in driver's education years ago?
Joy Barber, Windsor Oaks. At the corner of Windsor Oaks Boulevard and Glen Willow, there is no street sign and it has been gone for some time.
It's very difficult when you want someone to come to your home and there's no street sign to tell them where to turn.
RW: Gotcha, Joy. This has been reported and you should be getting a brand new sign sometime soon.
Carole Decker, Linlier. I travel the Virginia Beach Boulevard corridor almost every day and as I pass through the intersection of Great Neck Road, going off on Laskin, I see that the line markers on the lanes are almost completely gone.
When I travel the lanes going eastward people are always merging in my lanes because the markers aren't there. I would appreciate it if someone would look into this. It's very dangerous at night or if it's raining, especially when you go off on the overpass to Laskin Road.
RW: This isn't the only place in need of a new stripe or two. Apparently, though, there's a humongous backlog for such work. So, although engineers have passed this on to the appropriate department you probably won't see results for some time.
Charlie Nash, no address given. Two things. One, at the foot of the expressway, leaving Virginia Beach, they've just put up barricades. It is rumored that they are ready to cut down these beautiful old fir or evergreen trees for some reason.
If they plan to do it, I'm going to rally and see if I can't prevent them from doing it.
No. 2, it would be a big help if you would highlight the street or road, or intersection that you talk about. That way you could skim your column and you could look at the ones you wanted to know about.
RW: Hmm. No one's familiar with any projects going on at the end of the expressway? Can you give more clues? The trees you're speaking of, are they near the Arts Center? MEMO: Tell the Road Warrior about your motoring problems. Get 'em off your
chest. Call on Infoline, at 640-5555. After a brief message, dial ROAD
(7623). When directed, press 1 to deliver your message, and 1 again to
sign off.
Or, write: The Road Warrior, Virginia Beach Beacon, 4565 Virginia
Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va. 23462.
Don't forget to include your name, address and neighborhood.
by CNB