Speeding along on road to ruin

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				THE
Column Archive				VIRGINIA GAZETTE
				WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
Speeding along on road to ruin				September 14, 2002

Back in the halcyon days of the 60s, when Kerouac, cannabis and free thinkers thrived, and when people drove automobile models that were distinctive enough to be recognized by name, one could drive from Toano to Williamsburg via Route 60 in well under 15 minutes. There were few, if any, stop lights until you reached Ironbound Road, and the only businesses along the way were Producers Cooperative, the Pottery Factory and a few ramshackle antique stores. The speed limit was 60 mph all the way, except through the towns of Norge and Lightfoot.

Thanks to far-sighted planning commissions and boards of supervisors, however, all that has changed. Sprawl, like an octopodal alien-child spawned by the commercial fecundity of Williamsburg, has made a mockery of what was once a scenic drive, and traffic lights, like gerbils, seem to proliferate at will. But worst of all, and to accommodate all this ugliness, speed limits on Route 60 have now been reduced to 35 or 45 mph from Williamsburg to Toano.

Indeed, the last bastion of the fast ride fell to the cutting blade of VDOT just recently, when the limit on the stretch of Route 60 between the Candle Factory and Toano Middle School was reduced to 45. Why?

According to a report in the Gazette, someone wrote a letter to VDOT requesting the lower speed, and they complied – without announcing the evil deed, of course.

Well, if all it takes is a letter to VDOT to stir their murky minds to action, consider the following my letter of recommendations. And I expect immediate compliance.

First, do away with all 25 mph speed limits on through streets. They accomplish nothing other than to provide studies in camouflage for patrol cars waiting to hand out tickets in the middle of the night. Besides, there are some cars, like mine, that simply can’t go 25 mph, unless they grind along in second or third gear. And that’s a total waste of gas.

So, raise the speed limit on Richmond Road, Jamestown Road and other lesser roads, such as John Tyler Lane, to 40, and on Chickahominy Road and Olde Towne Road to 45. No one does 25 anyway, or at least not in broad daylight when there’s lots of traffic. In fact, raising the speed limit would increase the flow of traffic considerably, while the multiplex of traffic lights on Richmond Road would make speeding there unfathomable.

And why do we have to creep along at 25 in that wooded area of Lafayette Street beyond the fire station? Other than giving the city treasury a nice shot in the arm as a result of profuse ticketing, what’s the purpose of that? Up the speed limit there to 45, and let people get on to the clutter of Richmond Road more quickly.

Second, boost the speed limit on Route 60 to 55 in all areas other than the towns of Toano, Norge, and Lightfoot. Again, there are enough stop lights to prevent speeding, so at least let us move along spryly between them, if you please.

Third, put up an immense sign facing Jamestown Road at College Corner saying, “You Have The Right-of-way. Move It!”

Finally, a few words of advice for my fellow drivers.

(1) While the law states that pedestrians have the right-of-way, this does not mean that you have to come to a halt if you see a pedestrian a block away who may or may not be going to cross the street. Nor do you have to stop for pedestrians standing on a curb, waiting to cross the street.

This is especially important to remember on Jamestown Road, where, for some reason, an intense aura of courtesy descends on drivers, and they get an uncontrollable urge to slam on the brakes if they see some student eying the road. The chain reaction that results in the cars behind them, of course, creates an immense potential for road rage in the drivers upon whom the aura has not yet descended.

Pedestrians do indeed have the right of way if they are in the process of crossing the street, and in this case it is definitely illegal to play pedestrian polo.

On the other hand, there is absolutely no reason to encourage pedestrians to get into the road by stopping for them while they’re still on the sidewalk. Remember the drivers behind you, and move briskly along.

(2) If , because you’ve had the urge to drive over glaciers, up mountains, through jungles and across ponds, you’ve purchased an SUV or van the size of the Queen Mary, please remember to get through traffic lights as quickly as possible, since the guy in the New Beetle behind you can’t see them.

And write a letter to VDOT. It might get you more than you think.