DATE: Friday, October 31, 1997              TAG: 9710300242
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: THE ROAD WARRIOR 
SOURCE: Road Warrior 

                                            LENGTH:  105 lines

CLOSING OF GENERAL BOOTH BLVD. IS NO TRICK, BUT IT IS TEMPORARY

This is not a trick, and it certainly won't be a treat for those who travel the General Booth Boulevard corridor on a daily basis.

Starting Monday, the northbound lanes of General Booth Boulevard, between the KOA Campground and the Holiday Trav-L Park, will be closed for two weeks.

The left-most southbound lane in the same area will be closed for one week, leaving one lane of road for those heading south.

Northbound traffic will be rerouted via Prosperity to South Birdneck and then back to General Booth.

SNARLS OF THE WEEK

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

Jan, Ocean Lakes. I've got to take exception to Harold Armstrong about U-turners at Little Neck and Virginia Beach Boulevard shooting over from the left lane to the right lane and cutting off the right turners on Little Neck.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but, I don't think it was a God-given right to turn right unless traffic was clear. I would think the people doing the U-turning would have the right of way. They would have the green protected arrow. I do think he's right if there's a problem then a ``no right turn on red'' sign should be put up.

People turning right on red have to remember they need to have a clear intersection and they don't have the right of way. That's all I had to say. Thanks. Bye.

RW: Road got a couple of calls about Harold's comment last week. And, also about the fact that Road apparently missed a perfect opportunity to blast Harold for his misconception on right turners.

For the record, Harold, right-on-red turners must yield to everyone. So, Jan is correct in saying that the U turners have the right of way. A ``no right turn on red'' isn't likely because engineers say that it'll restrict right turns during all phases of the light and not just when the left turners get the green.

Molly Turner, no address given. Kings Grant. About Harold Armstrong's letter.

Getting rid of right on red does not stop the U-turners from holding everyone up. They should have a ``no U-turn'' sign there.

RW: If a ``no U-turn'' sign is erected there, how are people going to access the Social Services building while it's under construction? The building's entrance is off the Boulevard on the westbound side.

There's no reason why U-turns can't be made there. There's plenty of room and two left turning lanes. Those who don't want the U-turners to hold them up need only get in the far right left turn lane.

John, Witchduck Point. When you're coming out Alfriends Trail, entering onto North Witchduck Road, there are shrubs to the left creating a blind spot. It's very dangerous and we'd like you to look into it. Thanks very much.

RW: Road's happy to report the view obstruction.

Chuck, Avalon Terrace. At the corner of Providence Road and Avalon Terrace, there's a control that children can push to get across the street. It has been broken for six months or longer from a car hitting it and has not been put back up. Lets see if we can get that back up and repaired. Thank you.

RW: Road assumes you mean at the corner of Avalon Avenue and Providence?

Engineers said they'll go check it out. Incidentally, if you notice a stop or yield sign missing, engineers need to hear about it as soon as possible. Even if it's on the weekend, you can call 427-5616.

Kathy Garner, Colony Acres. I'm calling about the problem on Colony Drive, there is a stop sign located on an egress off of Colony Drive. The egress is specifically used by the Edu Care patrons. Some of the parents that come out of Edu Care don't stop at that stop sign.

What can be done to let those drivers know that the residents have the right of way? We have children in our cars and they have children in their cars. Something's going to happen and the children are going to be hurt. We have kids on this street. If they cross the street those people that come out of there can't see them around the corner.

I've called the police. They have not sent anybody out. I've called traffic and engineering and they said they'd call police.

I've talked to the directors of Edu Care. They said it's a police problem, not theirs.

RW: All of the answers you got, Kathy, were correct. It's not the day care center's fault. In fact, who's to say it's their patrons running the stop sign? Road's not taking sides here. Road's simply saying that what you're dealing with is driver behavior, which cannot be remedied by engineers or business owners. Police, however, usually do a good job dealing with behaviors. Then again, you have to remember, if it's a few people versus a few hundred with a problem, the cops can't be everywhere at once. Your best bet is to continue to call your local precinct and ask for enforcement.

Chris Kohoon, no address given. At the intersection of Parliament and Princess Anne, if you're coming out of Parliament onto Princess Anne heading towards Witchduck, the light has no arrow and it takes forever to get out of there at 5 p.m. I was wondering if they could put an arrow there or if they could investigate it. Thanks a lot.

RW: Engineers say they're reluctant to add more phases, translated: more time, to the signal when there's not a ton of cross traffic. Sorry.

Dorothy Forest, Sunnyside Drive. This is concerning the possibility of speed bumps in Lakeville Estates, just off Indian River Road.

This street is the only exit and entrance for the combined neighborhoods for Lakeville and Lakeview estates. The two neighborhoods have approximately 400 homes combined. It's over simplification to say that there's one speeder for about six nonspeeders. Here, it looks more like 50 percent of the drivers are speeding. The police can't possibly control the situation. When they do come out here it usually lasts about 12 hours and then we're back to the usual. I concur that speed bumps are a pain but they might be the only solution for this neighborhood. Thanks.

RW: Having a strong civic league can help with neighborhood problems like this, Dorothy. Even though the Beach doesn't actively participate in a speed bump program, there could be other alternatives. A petition with 75 percent of the residents' signatures is a good start to some possible answers. Road'd start there and see what happens.

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