THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 28, 1996 TAG: 9606270152
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THE ROAD WARRIOR
LENGTH: 113 lines
Anyone been to the new amphitheater? Did you try and leave the amphitheater after a concert?
Road recently attended the Eagles concert with some friends and didn't have a bit of problem finding a parking spot. We rode three to a car but each one of us paid the $1.50 parking fee that's added into the cost of each ticket.
Lots of folks have been saying that paying the parking fee in the ticket price is more convenient - they don't have to worry about stopping to pay when they get there.
Well, that's fine and dandy but let's do some math for this one.
The amphitheater holds 20,000 people. That's 20,000 folks who paid $1.50 each to park. The amphitheater has 6,700 parking spots. My calculations say that they are short some 13,300 spots, which someone has paid for.
A friend who also attended the concert said that many cars were double-parked (as per staff instructions) making it difficult if not impossible to leave when some people wanted. It took our group a full 15 minutes to get out of the parking lot onto Dam Neck Road.
So, you may think prepaying your $1.50 will net you a spot in the lot but, think again. Remember, they're short 13,300 spots.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Sharon Ward, College Park. I was just wondering how we could go about getting a duck crossing sign on OLD PROVIDENCE ROAD behind the Chartwell and Banbury Lake apartments where the lake is? The ducks and the Canada geese cross over into the conduit that's across the street and there's been two ducks hit there this year already and there's a lot of babies out there right now so I'm concerned. Thanks.
RW: Who needs a duck crossing sign? Isn't hunting season starting soon?
Now, don't go getting all ticked off, Sharon. Road's just kidding.
Engineers say they'll consider a duck crossing sign for the area. Incidentally, most folks think these signs are erected to protect the ducks. The truth is the signs are to protect drivers to warn them that road conditions ahead may not be normal. There could be cars stopped waiting for ducks to cross. It just alerts folks to pay attention.
Al, Winston-Salem Avenue. In regards to L.P.'s phone call about the traffic at the intersection of 21st STREET and PACIFIC AVENUE. That road has four lanes, the far right and the far left are right turn and left turn only. They're marked with two arrows with the words
``only'' on the pavement plus a sign on the curb saying ``right turn only'' and ``left turn only.'' I think that any driver that tries to go straight ahead from these lanes is either doing it intentionally or is one of those idiots you write about.
As far as the two center lanes turning left and right, they're marked to go straight ahead as he says. There's plenty of signing on that road to let people know how to use those right and left turn lanes. Thanks.
RW: People hate change, Al, and that's probably a big reason this new pattern is taking a while to catch on. But, thanks for the marking and signage information!
Your description of the right and left turn only lanes is correct. Engineers also say that the two middle lanes do allow you to take a left or right depending on which lane you're in. But, if someone's in the right turn only lane and goes straight, they're as you say, plain stupid.
Mike Stauskas, no address given. There's a left turn signal at the corner of INDIAN RIVER ROAD which intersects with INDIAN RIVER ROAD and INDIAN LAKES BOULEVARD, that is totally out of synch with the rest of the traffic patterns. You sit there and get three cars through and then it'll change when there's no traffic whatsoever. Then when traffic is coming through, that's when the light turns green for the left turn. If you could have something done about that I'm sure a lot of people would be real happy.
RW: Sounds like the light's timing is off a bit. Engineers said they'd go check it out to see if they can't adjust the timing a bit.
Jennifer Gordon, Holland Pines. I was wondering about the road in front of the Virginia Beach Amphitheater at PRINCESS ANNE ROAD. It was great when they had the light flashing. Now every time I drive by it in the morning, about 25 cars have to stop for one little car to make a left hand turn. Couldn't they just leave that thing flashing most of the time except when there's a concert going on? I think that'd be a much better idea so everyone in the world wouldn't have to stop for one little car. Thanks.
RW: The road you speak of is called Concert Drive and you're right, the signal is up and operational.
Problem is engineers can't adjust that light to flashing only because people, maybe just one, do need to get out of the park by taking a left. Also, there's a school back there and the bus drivers use that road to get out onto Princess Anne so it isn't likely that the light will ever be just flashing again.
However, engineers have agreed to see if they can't fine tune the light's timing to be in synch with the other lights in the corridor. As it is, engineers have already punched in a new timing phase for the traffic light heading southbound and making a left from South Independence onto Princess Anne Road to get to the amphitheater.
Beverly Daugherty, Timberlake. At the intersection of SOUTH PLAZA TRAIL and ROSEMONT ROAD, people going across Rosemont on South Plaza get in the right turn lane and go straight! I've almost hit a few people and a few people have almost hit me. Trying to get into the gas station there is a real trick. Thanks, bye.
RW: Hmm Bev, do we have our intersections messed up? Are you thinking South Plaza and Holland instead of South Plaza and Rosemont? At South Plaza and Rosemont, heading east on South Plaza, there are two lanes, one to go straight or right and one to turn left.
Are we talking about the same intersection? Because, if we are, right turners and those heading straight must share the lane cause it's the only one there!
Chris, no address given. Please check the book and see if there's any such law in the state of Virginia about driving barefoot. Thank you.
RW: Good question, Chris. Road vaguely remembers answering this one before only now Road can't find the topic in the Code of Virginia Beach. However, in case you were wondering, it is unlawful to wax or ``grease'' your car in the middle of a roadway.
Road's got some calls out on the barefoot thing and will hopefully have an answer for you in next week's column. 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. 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. by CNB