THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411100170
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Road Warrior
LENGTH: Long : 127 lines
Did you know that there was a tunnel under the Route 44 toll booth that allows toll collectors to arrive at their booths without having to dodge all the traffic in the individual lanes?
It's true. The tunnel runs the whole length of the 14-lane toll booth and if you're down in the deepest recesses of the tunnel, all you can hear is the ``ching ching'' of change being deposited. The whole place smells like money and car exhaust.
How does Road know this? Simple. Road went to work at the toll booth the other day. Since it won't be around too much longer (at least it's looking that way), Road figured it was now or never to get the inside scoop on toll collecting and what it's all about.
Road met several of the collectors, including the ``Fingernail Woman'' who was a topic of conversation some months ago because of her very long nails. Road immediately noticed that they had been trimmed considerably.
Anyway, Neil Ogden, the director at the booth, let Road hang out in a booth with a collector to see what it's all about. There's a lot more to it than you might think.
Road didn't actually get to touch the silver, but Road watched one veteran collector stick her arm out over and over again to receive a toll. After each toll, collectors have to hit one of eight buttons on a machine to indicate what sort of vehicle had just paid the toll. On this day we were in the trucks only lane, which requires that all axles on a vehicle be counted so that the amount of the toll can be determined. The cost is 10 cents an axle and these toll collectors are good at knowing their axles.
Then there are bus slips to deal with, I.O.U. notes to pass out, change to be given, tickets to collect and in between all of that, the collectors keep an eye out for accidents or other mishaps. Often, they're the ones who call when an accident happens, when someone needs a doctor or a tow truck.
Road was waiting for an interesting character to cruise through, but had no such luck. Road never got a glimpse of the man who supposedly drives through the booth butt-naked. Not that Road likes naked men, more that Road wanted to experience a part of the booth's history. And apparently, this man is part of its history. He's been rolling through in his birthday suit at about the same time every night for a year or so.
But, alas, maybe another day? SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Carleen, Virginia Beach. I wanted to ask you, if it's just me, or is it ambiguous that on the way to the toll booth on 44 it says, ``exact change all lanes.'' I've never seen you address that in your column but it seems like if you don't have a quarter in your pocket, you're kinda panicky at the moment thinking you have to have a quarter and can't use change.
The other thing is I commute to Norfolk every day from Virginia Beach and it's getting so scary out there. There are major accidents every day. Wish we could do something about that, Road.
RW: Exact change could be interpreted several ways - exact change as in one quarter or exact change as in two dimes and a nickel or 25 pennies.
Change is change and a quarter is considered ``change.'' Basically, that sign is there to let folks know that if they have a quarter, or exact change that equals a quarter, they're welcome to use any lane.
As for 264 being scary, you're right. Road counts my lucky stars that my commute doesn't involve traveling 264 in the morning.
James Brown, no address given. I'd like to report a terrible amount of traffic as the result of the traffic light at Indian River Road and Kempsville Road not cycling long enough for the traffic coming down Indian River from the Centerville area. It's backing up a quarter mile and it really makes it hard trying to get through that light. I'd appreciate it if you could use your influence so it would cycle a little longer. That's the people going straight through the light and those turning left.
RW: One word for you, James, and that's CMAQ - Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality. If you haven't heard this before, you haven't been reading the column. It's the project that is going to re-time and coordinate most of our major roadways, including the Indian River/Kempsville Road corridor. It's already beginning and should be going throughout the year. This is about the only answer Road has to timing concerns, because engineers aren't tweaking signals anymore because they're hoping this new project will take care of the problems for them.
Ethel Constanine, no address given. There's a pole at the corner of Pleasure House Road and Northampton Boulevard to turn right to get on Pleasure House Road. It is a dangerous place for that big pole to be standing. I think there should be a caution light on it or something because in the lane you can't see it and someone's going to drive right into it.
RW: A pole? Is it a pole with a signal on it in the median or are we talking just a pole there in the middle of nowhere? Let's have some more details on this one. We could have some fun with this design. If you don't mind, give me a ring back.
Rick Larson, Lords Court, Foxfire. On my court, I have about 16 houses and there's somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 kids - I don't know, I can't get 'em all to stay still long enough to count them. Anyway, what I want to find out about is we're trying to get a ``drive slow, kids playing'' sign or something like that and the city doesn't seem to want to help us out much. Anything you can do?
RW: Road's favorite engineer is out of the office today, so Road doesn't have an exact answer for you. Road'll check on what the city's policy is about such stuff and let you know next week what I find out.
Jack, Kempsville. That man who had a problem with the right of way of U-turners and right-turners at Overland Drive needs to take a lesson himself.
U-turners are the last to have the right of way. I've been driving that way for 60 years and I just checked it with the Fourth Precinct on Kempsville Road.
Left-turners and U-turners must wait for traffic to clear before they make their turns.
RW: Not! Road disagrees with this. If a left-turner has a circular green, you're right, they must wait and yield to everyone else. However, if you're making a U-turn under the protection of a green arrow (no matter what direction you're U-turning in), those turning right coming from the other direction must yield to you as well as everyone else who has a circular green or a red light.
The green arrow is the sign that you are protected to make any movement legal and in this city U-turns are legal. Sounds like those guys at the Fourth need a refresher course in driving, too. 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.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