DATE: Friday, April 25, 1997                TAG: 9704240142

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: THE ROAD WARRIOR 

SOURCE: Road Warrior 

                                            LENGTH:  100 lines

RED LIGHT CAMPAIGN IS HEATING UP AND THERE IS A LOT MORE TO COME

To the chagrin of K.B. in Kempsville, Road's going to spend few weeks on this red light running topic. (K.B. called Road to say he's tired of the topic and that ``surely something else must be going on.'')

Road promised to explore the engineering side of the red light running issue and Bob Gey, the city's head traffic engineer, agreed to help.

A lot of folks tend to question the timing of the lights when they think of solutions to red light running. Some think that extending the yellow time to let people get through an intersection will solve the problem. It won't. And you can take that to the bank.

Extending the yellow light only allows more people more time to try and make it through an intersection.

Red light runners actually take time away from another cycle. If drivers who have the green have to wait an additional one to two seconds to let a red light runner through, that's one to two cars that won't make the green.

The one thing that engineers have done, and really the only thing that they can do to maybe make a difference, is to have two to three seconds of all red in every direction so that the intersection is clear before a green comes up.

Unfortunately, with more and more people running the light at any given time, even the two to three seconds of all red are being eaten up.

So, from an engineering standpoint, there's only so much that can be done. The whole problem is basically driver behavior. Bad behavior.

The most effective way to change a bad behavior is enforcement.

Next week, we discuss the Police Department's role and the possible role of cameras.

SNARLS OF THE WEEK

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

John Say, no address given. How about getting the potholes on WESLEYAN DRIVE, in front of Norfolk Academy, fixed again? You got them one time for me but we've got some more right there in the main line. Thanks.

RW: Gotcha, John. Road'll report the problem pronto.

Dean Finley, no address given. In reference to red light running, the best thing to do would be to eliminate all right turn on red turns and make all people stop at all stop signs and intersections. Get rid of right on red.

RW: Hm, interesting idea, Dean. If there was proof that the right turners were the whole problem then eliminating right on red would be good. But, it's not just the right turners, it's also the folks going straight. Whatever is done it must be something that's across the board and fair to all.

Don Wafford, no address. I've been in Virginia Beach two years and it's so frustrating because it seems like the city tries to control everything with their stoplights and they're wrong.

RW: Don, signals are used to control traffic flow, there's no doubt about it. Just imagine Virginia Beach without any signals. For instance, how would you make a left off Virginia Beach Boulevard to get onto Independence?

Susan Cintron, no address given. I've thought a group name for those interested in stopping red light runners - CARR, Citizens Against Red light Runners. We could all get together and maybe make a difference on this issue.

RW: Hey, great name Susan!

Hillary, Little Neck. I go down to CENTERVILLE TURNPIKE on a regular basis and I'd like to know if you know when they are going to complete LYNNHAVEN PARKWAY all the way through?

RW: According to the recent Capital Improvement Program, construction on a four-lane divided highway (with bike path) from Indian River Road to Centerville Turnpike, about 2.1 miles, is scheduled to begin in June 1999. Completion, again according to the CIP, would be sometime in October 2002.

Tony Sperotti, no address given. I think your red light campaign is great. I think the sticker idea is good also but I believe some time ago someone mentioned blowing horns when they see someone run a red light.

Good. Maybe when the drivers see red light running going on they can blow their horns. If they make enough noise, people are going to get tired of the noise.

Stickers are great, but I don't think half the people in this town know how to read. If they can't read a stop sign - if STOP to them says GO - or they're color blind and red is a green to them, I don't know if the stickers are going to work, but I do advocate blowing your horn. Thank you.

RW: Road first mentioned horn blowing about a year ago. It's a great way to show displeasure at someone's actions and exert a little peer pressure at the same time. Road's all for tooting the old horn when someone blows through a red.

Hans Corpet, no address given. I'm calling about the problem at HOLLAND and DAM NECK roads. When you try and make a left turn from Holland onto Dam Neck, it's impossible. Drivers going straight will run over you if you don't get out of the way. It's ridiculous. The speed limit is 45 mph but I've seen them going as high as 90 mph. Something needs to be done. More police are needed in that stretch of road.

RW: Hans, more police are needed everywhere and still there will never be enough.

Ken Kreutzer, no address given. Do you know if license plates are going to a combination of eight digits rather than seven? I'd like to know that please.

RW: Far as Road knows, Ken, there are no plans to extend the digits in a license plate. Why? You got a good idea for a personalized tag that takes eight digits?

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