THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 12, 1995 TAG: 9505110142
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: The Road Warrior
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines
Good news this week for local volunteer rescue squads and firemen.
In a cooperative effort with Traffic Engineering, the Fire Department and the emergency management system, four intersections are getting devices which will allow emergency personnel to preempt the signals as they're approaching in an emergency situation.
By preempting the signals, Road means that the emergency vehicles will house a device that is read by yet another device atop a traffic signal. Once the button is pressed, so to speak, the light will automatically phase through and stop all sides with a red light, except the direction from which the emergency vehicle is traveling.
A couple of years ago this device was installed as a test at the intersection of First Colonial and Laskin roads. Guess it passed because now the intersections of Old Donation Parkway and Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach and Independence boulevards, Independence Boulevard and and Columbus Loop and First Colonial Road and Donna Drive will have the devices installed and operating this weekend.
Eventually, there will be two other areas added to this system. Right now, engineers are learning all about maintaining and installing the system. The move is designed to save the city and taxpayers big bucks in accident costs and save a life or two in the meantime.
If your pre-schooler comes home whistling the tune, ``Riding along with BUCKLEBEAR, drivin' here and drivin' there. Goin' near and goin' far, everyone buckle up in the car,'' don't worry. It's a new campaign started by DRIVE SMART and geared toward toddlers in the STOP Head Start Program to teach them about buckling up and how important it is.
BUCKLEBEAR is a large lap puppet used to teach the children how to put their seatbelts on and where on the body the belts should be for the best protection.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Carla, no address given. Question: Why did they change the timing at the light on CYPRESS POINT BOULEVARD and WESLEYAN DRIVE?
Now you have to wait on Cypress Point Boulevard forever to get through.
Prior to this, when you drove up, the light would change automatically. Can you check into that?
RW: Be happy to, Carla, but it sounds as if the area's been hit by CMAQ, the signal retiming project sweeping through the city.
Engineers have confirmed this and say that one cost of CMAQ is that the coordinated patterns are coordinated to move main street traffic. In this case, Wesleyan Drive has more green time than the side street. And it's no longer an on-demand light because the light pattern has to be coordinated with the other area signals, in this case, the intersection of Diamond Springs and Wesleyan.
So, that light won't automatically switch to you when you pull up, but it will cycle through and come around.
Debbie Graham, Norfolk. I'd like to know why they don't use the HOV lanes during off-peak hours to help some of the traffic congestion when they're working on lanes?
Saturday and Sunday, this past week, they were working on I-64 westbound and they could have opened up the lanes going in our direction. They were actually going in the opposite direction, going eastbound and there was all this traffic built up. I was wondering why they can't think ahead like that especially when they're working on an off ramp, like at Norview. Seems like they don't utilize the HOV lanes as much as they could. I'd appreciate some assistance on this. Thank you.
RW: Well, Debbie, the reason HOV lanes aren't used to help ease congestion during construction is because the HOV lanes are used to encourage ridesharing and carpooling. If you shared a ride, or were in a carpool, you would have cleared the construction with less hassle, which is supposed to be the attraction of HOV.
Also, for those who don't realize it, the HOV lanes are open to all traffic after 6 p.m. on Fridays. The eastbound lanes are open until 1 a.m. Sunday when they're switched to allow all traffic to use the westbound lanes until 5 a.m. Monday.
Bruce, Princess Anne. When did DMV change the vehicle following rule to 1 inch per 10 mph? I'm sick of these people tailgating me, and I'm trying to do the speed limit.
Also, they need to have some more enforcement on the school zones. People are speeding through them. Thanks.
RW: According to DMV's 1994-95 Virginia Drivers' Manual, people should use the ``two-second rule'' when following others. Pick a landmark, a sign, a post, whatever, that the vehicle in front of you has just passed. Start counting the seconds to see how long it takes you to reach the same spot. If you hit that spot before two seconds, you're definitely following too close.
They also have some advice for tailgating. If someone's tailgating you, the manual suggests that you move over if feasible. If there's nowhere to move to, the manual actually suggests flashing your lights and slowing down to allow the tailgater to pass. Road always slowed down just to tick those tailgaters off. Never knew it was actually a trick sanctioned by DMV (sort of).
As for people speeding through school zones and, in some cases, around school buses that are stopped loading or unloading, Road asks what is our society coming to that we don't value our children? More and more complaints have been lodged this year about people speeding in school zones and disregarding stopped school buses.
The nonsense has to stop somewhere. Let's make it stop with yielding to these buses and their occupants.
Unintelligible, no address given. Calling about the intersection of GENERAL BOOTH BOULEVARD and FERRELL PARKWAY. Is there going to be a light installed there? A lot of kids take their bikes over to the recreation center. Summer's coming up soon and school's going to be out. A light could be used in there. Thanks.
RW: Road first had to check to be sure General Booth and Ferrell actually intersected somewhere and you're right, they do.
It's a small road, though. From London Bridge Boulevard, heading south on General Booth Boulevard, it's the next intersection on the right and is basically a driveway to the Princess Anne Recreation Center, at least for the time being.
Engineers say once Ferrell Parkway is built through (and who knows when that'll happen?), they'll probably install a light. But until then, a couple of kids on bikes aren't enough of a problem. Teach those kids to use their judgment when crossing and wear helmets! 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