THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602220310
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Over the last five years, the average commuter has been forced to drive 1.2 mph slower, thanks in part to road congestion.
It may be little consolation for motorists staring at an endless line of brake lights, but experts are celebrating the latest slowdown figures.
Not that the researchers like gridlock, but rather that their data show that the congestion really could be a lot worse.
``To only lose 1.2 mph on average is phenomenal,'' said Dwight Farmer, transportation director for the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.
Consider, he said, the pressures on the highways:
The region's population has grown 4.6 percent since the last survey in 1990.
Employment has increased 7.8 percent, putting more people into the commuting ranks.
Not only are there more vehicles but they are traveling farther.
And there is now an average of about one car per person per household in Hampton Roads.
Still, there was no huge jump in commute times.
Some spots, such as Virginia Beach Boulevard between Newtown and Great Neck roads, actually showed an improvement over five years ago.
Farmer credits the highway-building initiative launched by former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles in 1986. It takes time to fund and construct roads, and Farmer said the additional lanes that resulted from the initiative and the continuing state emphasis on highway needs are now paying off for Hampton Roads commuters.
The travel time report was presented Wednesday at the planning commission's monthly meeting.
Such surveys have been conducted roughly every five years since 1986 to gauge the efficiency of local roads and interstates.
The only roads to show significant losses in speed since 1990, Farmer said, were Interstate 564, inbound toward the naval base; the Coleman Bridge; the Downtown Tunnel; and the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
The planning district commission plans to use the information as both a call for more transportation dollars as well as an economic development tool for the region.
Using the data and the accompanying maps, businesses planning to locate in Hampton Roads can pinpoint a potential site and get a quick idea of travel times surrounding that location.
Combined with U.S. Census data, the time travel survey could help businesses discover information about potential customers and where their best marketplace might be, Farmer said. ILLUSTRATION: VP Graphic
Getting there sooner
[Avg. Speed (mph) A.M. Peak Hour]<
[Avg. Speed (mph) P.M. Peak Hour]
For copy of graphic, see microfilm
KEYWORDS: MILES PER HOUR SPEEDING TRAFFIC COMMUTER
by CNB