THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512080235
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 173 lines
Fall soccer at John Tyler is coming to an end. The end of the season tournament is just beginning, and spring soccer is just around the corner. The many people who have contributed to make this a successful season and venture deserve a special thanks.
Many people, too numerous to individually recognize, have contributed time, money and much hard work to make the soccer complex at John Tyler something to be proud of. The resilient breath of life brought to this complex by the combined efforts of neighbors and City Hall working together as a team is a win-win approach. It, too, deserves to be recognized and promoted as a real plus for Portsmouth.
Walter C. Cross III
John Tyler Soccer
Dec. 4, 1995 Glad for reduced traffic
In response to the many letters I have read concerning the closing of several Waterview streets to through traffic, I must say that I have mixed feelings. I am not a resident of Waterview, but reside in Grove Park which is nearby, and have noticed significantly less traffic passing my usually busy corner.
This is a welcome relief to our section of town, as there are several intersections that have always been hazardous for children, due to the high volume of traffic cutting through the neighborhoods seeking some imagined shortcut.
To tell the truth, nowhere in Portsmouth is more than 10 minutes from anywhere else, and with MidCity and Tower Mall in their present state, there really aren't many places left to shop in Portsmouth - period. The writers complaining about being forced to shop in Chesapeake were probably heading there anyway, and are angry at having their shortcut removed.
Closing these few streets is preferable to closing the Caroline Avenue causeway and has almost the same effect without being quite so drastic. You can still get where you want to go - but it might take a little longer. What's the rush?
For now, my neighbors and I will enjoy the relative peace and quiet that has come upon us. This is one change that isn't so bad.
Gary Gup
Portsmouth
Dec. 4, 1995
Keep public streets open
Well, here we go again with Portsmouth using police power to accommodate certain influential people with traffic control, this time in Waterview, turning public streets into private driveways.
Historically, this has happened several times in the recent past, such as Hodges Ferry where a ton of tickets were given out, likewise in Port Norfolk and so it goes. Portsmouth will be Portsmouth, a city of special interest groups.
Now, let us hope that the citizens near I-264 won't complain and cause traffic to be diverted through Norfolk in order to get to downtown Portsmouth, if they still want to go there.
A.C. Warner
Georgia Road
Nov. 25, 1995
Where's my private road?
If the citizens who live on Shenandoah and Grayson streets want a private road then they need to maintain it. The city should not be responsible for any up-keep on the roads, trash pick-up or anything else that is paid for by tax dollars. This city cannot afford to maintain private roads. There are many citizens in this city who would prefer that no traffic come down their roads, but get real, that is what roads are for. I do not appreciate the inconvenience of having to travel one minute longer than I have to and, again, why should I have to? I pay my taxes in this city and should be able to drive on any street that is maintained by this city and my tax dollars.
Rodman Avenue and King Street cannot handle the traffic this has already created. Who wants to go all the way to Frederick Boulevard to get to Westhaven or any other part of Portsmouth? There are a few voters in Waterview and many in the rest of Portsmouth.
Gale Bracy
900 Hanover Ave.
Dec. 27, 1995 Shortcutters are selfish
I find this Waterview issue very interesting. The rest of the city feels that Waterview residents are being selfish in wanting through traffic in their neighborhood stopped. Let's see, we are trying to provide our children a safe neighborhood in which to ride their bikes and visit their friends. (There are over 1,600 cars on Shenandoah and Grayson streets, daily.) We are also trying to protect our property values.
The rest of the city is angry because one neighborhood has cut off their perceived shortcut from one side of town to the other. I say perceived because according to a recent study by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the time saved by using the Caroline causeway instead of Frederick and Airline boulevards is approximately three minutes. That is, of course, if you aren't speeding, and we all know that the fine citizens of Portsmouth would never go more than 25 mph through a residential neighborhood.
Now, you tell me ... who is being selfish?
Deborah M. Brunick
High Street
Dec. 4, 1995 No access? Lower Taxes
How wonderful it must be to be a resident of Waterview! These residents have their streets barricaded so through traffic must be rerouted away from their neighborhood. As a Churchland homeowner, my blood pressure rises every time I cross the Churchland Bridge and see the many signs and concrete walls that prevent cars from turning right onto the next three streets.
My neighbors and I pay Portsmouth city taxes just like Waterview residents, yet our children have to play in their back yards to stay safe from street traffic. My street is the main entrance into our subdivision and some cars take the corner on two wheels.
Therefore, I do understand Waterview residents' wishes for a safe environment for their children - wouldn't we like for that wish to come true for all of us. At the same time, I understand that city streets are public property.
Instead of petitioning City Council to close my street, perhaps Churchland citizens should collectively demand lower taxes for being denied access to those city streets. My family enjoys going to City Park. Now, we have to detour around this privileged neighborhood to get there.
Enjoy your one-way streets.
Carla David
Holly Road
Nov. 27, 1995
Loud Waterview minority
In the Dec. 3 issue of Currents, there were several letters expressing various degrees of concern regarding the sudden appearance of the walled village of Waterview. This is another example of one of the serious flaws in the democratic system, and heaven forbid that we try to change it. The governors and bureaucracies respond too readily to the wails and demands of a small militant minority. Unfortunately, this occurs at all levels of the government. The rights of the majority frequently suffer because of the pressures from vocal minorities whether they be groups of concerned citizens, trade organizations or any other groups with a cause.
To me, the streets maintained by the city are thoroughfares that are for public use and should be available to all citizens on an equal basis. Use should be available according to the appropriate speed limits, direction of traffic flow and such rules and regulations as considered appropriate by those in authority. But there seems to be no justification for setting aside certain streets for the exclusive use of the persons owning property abutting these streets. This would indicate that the rest of the taxpaying public concerned are required to maintain streets for a privileged minority. This amounts to gross discrimination and cannot be justified.
What if the persons owning property along Bayview Avenue were to demand that their street be blocked off at the foot of the West Norfolk Bridge? Or, consider the people who live on High Street between Maryview Medical Center and the old Churchland High School what if they asked for equal treatment? Of course, this is impossible, but is it not discrimination to say that the people in Waterview must be protected from the traffic that needs to flow through their neighborhood?
If this is to continue to be tolerated by our present government then let us arrange to treat the people who are getting this preferential treatment fairly and equally with those who live in areas which have roads which are considered private, such as condominiums and shopping centers. . . Deed the property involved in the right of way now considered city property and let the citizens in the area maintain them. It appears that it would be easy for the city to determine the current value of the property involved for each property owner. This could be arranged so that the owners could purchase this in one lump sum or the cost could be amortized and the payments added to the property taxes over a period of years. The total cost should include the cost of placing the barriers and the new traffic signs as well as the future maintenance thereof.
These citizens asked for relief, this would be an equitable method of paying the consequences. As we are frequently reminded, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
J. Andrew Brown
Hatton Point Lane
Dec. 6, 1995 by CNB