THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 6, 1995 TAG: 9510050159
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: The Road Warrior
SOURCE: The Road Warrior
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines
Road's on the verge of arrest.
The violation? ``Reckless grammar.''
Or so say the students in Fran Adams' English class at Johnson and Wales University.
The group sent Road a certificate of violation in reference to a ``blatant disregard of the pronoun agreement using the word `their' .''
Here are the offending sentences: ``They presented their findings so the public could digest the information and express what they think needs to be done to improve the accident rate. . . .'' and ``The public is invited to submit their suggestions for improvement.''
In both cases, Road used the words ``they'' and ``their'' as plurals when both should have been singular, like ``its.'' The word public means one group and takes a singular pronoun.
In hindsight, Road would have been better off using ``members of the public,'' which would require the plural pronoun, or leaving the ``their'' out completely.
Sure, Road erred. There's no doubt about that. But, why me? There are tons of offenders out there!
Would you believe that just as Road was writing the offending column, Road got a call to rush to the hospital to deliver a baby? Or, that maybe Road had to go to the bathroom?
Road swears, officer, that the light really was yellow.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Rick, no address given. What I want to know is about this guy on SHORE DRIVE tying up traffic with an eight-foot pole with a stop sign on it out in front of Baylake Pines School. It's lining up traffic all the way up Shore Drive.
What I'd really like to see is somebody run over the short blond with the stop sign. How about checking it out, Road?
RW: The patrol you speak of is actually an off-duty police officer hired by the school to help children safely cross Shore Drive.
The school has a long-standing problem with Shore Drive traffic.
Engineers say that plans are in the works to install a traffic signal at Baylake Road and Shore Drive. The signal isn't right at the turnoff for the school, but at least it will afford the students and parents a gap in Shore Drive traffic.
Plans also are in the works to provide a pocket and median break for U-turners heading east down Shore Drive at Treasure Island. You'll see the signal erected before you see a left-turn pocket built. That's because the left turn is still in the design, or drawing, phase. The light should be installed within a year.
With these two measures in place, the school probably will no longer need the off-duty police officer.
Ken Zickus, no address given. I use ROUTE 44 east every day. I come off I-64 and go on Route 44 and before you get to Witchduck Road there's a sign that says the shoulder is open or closed and people don't read it. If you obey the sign you can't get off at Witchduck because these people are on the shoulder and you can't make the exit.
It's real dangerous. The sign's so high you can't see it.
I think they need to lower that sign or make people aware a little differently that the lane's either open or closed. Thank you.
RW: Around these parts, Ken, you could put a sign at eye-level and people will still swear they never saw it.
Adequate signage is in place. There's a sign right before the exit and another sign just yards away from the exit. The problem is that the bozos who want off at Witchduck are just taking over the shoulder lane, open or closed, and just going for it.
It's a great place for shoulder lane enforcement because it happens regularly. But, it's a horrible place to try and pull someone over to write them a ticket.
Leveria Marsh, no address given. I'd like to complain about the paint that is spilt on the highways by whomever spills it.
I have a green Camry and I have white and gray paint on the left and pink paint on the right.
Now, I have a car with four different colors. Somebody needs to do something about this. I'm sick and tired of those people leaving their paint in the road for me and my fellow motorists to run over. Bye.
RW: Your best bet in this circumstance is to try and find the source of the paint. If the offending vehicle drops a gallon of paint, the driver, or company that the driver works for, is responsible. Get details, time, date, place, etc., and call the company directly.
If you can't tell how the paint was spilled or who's responsible, you're out of luck. On our interstates, the Virginia Department of Transportation will come out and clean a mess up, provided that they're told it's there. It's the same with our city streets.
If the paint is due to road construction, the contractor is responsible for having insurance to cover such things and should be contacted directly to file a complaint. Other complaints should go through the city or state's risk management offices.
Also note that if you're in a single vehicle accident and you happen to knock out a light pole or guard rail, you will be billed for the replacement or repair. An interstate light pole, for example, costs $1,500 to $1,700 these days.
If two or more people are involved in the accident, the person who actually hit the object, not necessarily the one who was ticketed, gets the bill.
Most insurance companies will pay these bills. Road wondered about this because Road overheard a man complaining that the guardrail he supposedly paid for was never replaced and still sits in a mangled heap. He was hoping to take it home as a souvenir, since, as he said, he ``bought'' it.
Judith Allison, Crystal Lake Drive. One of our street signs and the pole, I think, have been missing for some time at the corner of Crystal Lake Drive and Cavalier Drive. I would appreciate anything you can do to have it restored. There are so many twists and turns back here that it's hard enough for friends or delivery men to find their way back here, especially at night.
If you would drop a word in the proper ears to have another sign erected you'd have the appreciation of everybody back here. Thanks a lot. Bye.
RW: Consider the word ``dropped.'' It may, however, take several weeks, or even months, because new signs have to be ordered. 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