DATE: Friday, October 10, 1997              TAG: 9710090235

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: ROAD WARRIOR 

SOURCE: Road Warrior 

                                            LENGTH:   98 lines

THE WORD OF THE DAY IS DELAY IN KEMPSVILLE, SO TAKE A DETOUR

Here's a word of advice for those heading to or from the Kempsville area and planing to use Ferrell Parkway - avoid the route at all costs.

A sewer force on Ferrell Parkway at Indian Lakes Boulevard needs repair and regular maintenance work. The work, which began this week, requires crews to shut down the westbound right lane of Ferrell Parkway at Indian Lakes, heading towards I-64.

Traffic patterns on Indian Lakes Boulevard in both directions will also be affected as work progresses. The work is scheduled to be finished by Oct. 27.

In the meantime, advisories put out by engineers recommend that folks find another route.

When engineers say it'll be a headache, you better believe them.

Another word to the wise, albeit it's a little early: Phillips Avenue, between Virginia Beach Boulevard and Laskin Road, will be closed in November and will stay closed for six months. The little road, only about 1,200 feet long, will be widened from barely two lanes to two full-sized regulation lanes.

Also, engineers have decided to repaint or add mini-skips at the intersection of Dam Neck and General Booth Boulevards to help guide folks through the intersection. Hopefully, the move will help motorists in the left most lane realize that once they cross General Booth (leaving the base) the lane ends.

And, wait there's more. Did anyone notice the new, long-awaited left turn signal at Edwin Drive and Princess Anne Road?

How about a round of applause for engineers?

SNARLS OF THE WEEK

The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.

Randy, Great Neck. The stop light on Mill Dam Road to turn onto First Colonial road seems to be extremely long even when there's no one coming from either direction on First Colonial.

Are the sensors not working or is this just an unusually long light?

RW: Engineers say the intersection is on the ``bad loop list'' meaning it'll be corrected eventually.

Rudy, no address given. Constitution Drive, between Virginia Beach Boulevard and Independence is a speedway. Cars are going 50 to 60 mph. The city had 25 mph speed limit signs and took them down when they put the blockade up and never replaced them. We need to get them back up there before someone gets killed.

RW: Engineers say there are speed limit signs on Constitution near the Boulevard and near Jeannie Street and that should be plenty to tell people the speed limit. Whether they listen or not is another thing.

Amanda, Hilltop. I was just curious as to what the point was in putting up the new light at Hilltop East? I sit at that light every morning and I never see traffic in the other direction. Was there was a reason for this light? I constantly read in your column where people are having problems with other areas, why put up a light when there was no problem?

RW: Although it may not appear that the light is needed in the morning, engineers say that the area met warrants for a signal due to the afternoon traffic in the area.

Tony, no address given. I'm calling about the light at 22nd Street and Cypress Avenue. Cypress is north and south and the light cycle is too long. People are getting impatient. It's an accident waiting to happen. I don't think these guys in traffic engineering know what they're doing. They're a bunch of loonies.

RW: Lets face it, Tony, you've got to be a little loony to do what they do, eight hours a day, five days a week. Engineers say that the light was just switched to its ``winter'' timing, which means that it should have a quick turnover. It also means the signal will not be in coordination with the other signals around it. Sometimes, you have to give to get.

Rawlei Clary, no address given. The problem is going north on Independence at Bayside. When the left turning light goes off people continue to go, which holds up the traffic heading south. Is there any way this light could turn red (in all directions) for a few moments so that people might stop?

RW: Nearly every single light in this city has an all-red phase of a minimum one second so that an intersection can clear. Some lights even have two seconds of all red. It doesn't seem to matter, though, because drivers still exhibit bad habits and run red lights. it could be 10 seconds of all-red and it just doesn't matter. About the only thing that will deter the act, temporarily anyway, is a police officer handing out tickets.

Betsy Parker, South Plaza Trail. I've noticed a driver with an expired inspection sticker on the windshield that reads 4-94. I was wondering what the penalty would be and how long the person has to fix the car once it's been declared undriveable?

How much trouble is this person going to get in if they don't hurry up and get their car inspected?

RW: If the vehicle has been inspected and doesn't pass, a ``rejection'' sticker is placed on the windshield. The vehicle's owner has 15 days to have the problems fixed and have the vehicle re-inspected.

If the sticker is expired, even if it is a rejection sticker, an officer can ticket the owner/driver for a traffic violation, punishable by a fine of up to $250.

Anyone who has been driving an expired vehicle around since 1994 deserves a ticket or needs to buy a new car.

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