Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 31, 1993 TAG: 9311020240
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
We are entitled to decide for ourselves what we consider art and are free to attend showings and galleries to view what we choose. But our freedom of choice has been taken away. Families all over the New River Valley were exposed to this ``art'' which was, by any standard, pornography.
I am sure that there were many other beautiful and more tasteful pieces that could have been shown. Is the Roanoke Times reverting to shock tactics to gain readership? If so, I think the readers of the New River Valley will have a surprise for them!
Karen Westmoreland
Christiansburg
Valley needs more bike lanes
I recently developed some car problems and out of necessity became very attached to my bicycle. I have always enjoyed riding a bicycle, but with my mountain bike I had used the roads only as connectors between trails. In the past six months or so I have used the bike as a primary means of transportation. I use it to get to work and to get out of the house when the dust bunnies get too aggressive.
The other day I rode into Radford to get a new front tire and to look at new mountain bikes. It was on this ride that I took exception to the lack of bicycle lanes on the main arteries. The New River Valley is an area inundated with bikers. You can ride just about anywhere and see them, but because of traffic, most pleasure riders stay on the back roads. If there were bicycle lanes on just a few of the main roads it would open up more of the area to bicyclists and provide more safety to those of us who choose to ride on the busier sections.
I took a few notes on this ride detailing some of the more irritating aspects of highway riding. I started on Virginia 114 near the Division of Motor Vehicles office and headed in the direction of U.S. 11. On the way there are two hills to negotiate. When you go slower it is harder to control your bicycle because so much effort is going into balance. If this does not make sense, think how easy it is to keep a straight line when going downhill. The point is, there is a need for more pavement than is normally available in the width of the white line. Low shoulders, areas where the pavement is higher than the gravel beside it, are prevalent. They are always a potential danger because there is a chance for loss of control should you fall off the edge. Also, there is no way to get back on the pavement without stopping or continuing through the loose gravel to a point where the gravel is even with the pavement again.
The bridge across the New River just past the Radford Army Ammunition Plant was quite a thrill. There is no sidewalk on the old half and no space between the railing and the lane for traffic. I actually tried to think how I would try to land in the water if a truck knocked me into the air and over the side. I tried not to think about the numerous supporting structures I would be more likely to collide with if such an event occurred. Do not forget to duck the maintenance ladder which overhangs the railing and is dubiously marked with pink flagging tape.
From the Belspring Road cut-through to the U.S. 1 bridge was not so bad, even if traffic gets congested in the area. There are so many stoplights that I kept at the same speed as the automobiles. The only real problem to watch for is cars making right turns into your path.
As I approached the bridge I was keeping an eye on traffic so I did not think to ride on the sidewalk. I should have. Along the edge there are storm drainage grates with holes parallel to the highway and about the same width as my tires. It could have been real interesting had I not seen the grates in time. The new section of Main Street in Blacksburg has addressed this problem by having grates with holes that are at 45-degree angles to the road.
I arrived at New Wheel Bicycle Shop and gave my machine to the capable talents of Frank, who wears a goatee and likes his music loud. He put on a new tire and performed 30 minutes of tune-up which was desperately needed. The same repairs would have taken me hours. In fact, the bicycle rides so well now, I am having second thoughts about buying a new one.
From Radford University's campus to New River Industries the road has four lanes and plenty of room to ride. There still is no bicycle lane, though, because the side is left for cars to park on. This has its own dilemma. If one of those cars opens up a door as I am passing by, over the handlebars I go. I could have ridden on the sidewalk here also, but I think it is probably illegal. Do not even think about doing it near an officer on the Virginia Tech campus. Rumor has it they will grab you even if you are at high speed.
I thought it would be an easier ride the rest of the way on Radford Road and to some extent it was. There are some really nice hills to climb on this stretch and as I mentioned earlier, these really need bike lanes. This section is not very built up and could be a real draw to bicyclists, but because it connects Christiansburg and Radford, people drive very fast on it. I also had my only jerk experience of this trip. Someone in a loud pickup came up behind me, slowed down, got closer, and then stomped on the gas, leaving me in the evidence his engine is not so great after all.
At Crystal Lake Road I turned left and had the most enjoyable leg of the journey. Not only did I coast a nice downhill but a left on Chrisman Mill Road gave me a deserted unpaved ride back to Virginia 114. These types of lightly traveled roads are what a lot of pleasure riders seek out. It is frustrating that the danger involved to get to them outweighs the pleasure derived from riding them.
Richard Hunter
Blacksburg
You call this good journalism?
This is Art?
This letter is in response to the New River Current [Oct. 17] section of the Roanoke Times & World-News.
I am writing to express my disgust and disappointment in your idea of good journalism. This portrayal of art belongs somewhere besides in a family newspaper.
Most homes allow the New River Current to casually take up space where it can be readily enjoyed. ... It's a safe object, right? Wrong!
We responsible adults worry about our innocent children's bodies being raped, what about their minds?
Let this kind of ``art'' stay in the crevices of the dark mind from where it emerged. We can do without it. ... The New River Current can call it art, I call it trash.
You can do better Roanoke Times!
Lora Phillips
Christiansburg
by CNB