HRTA -Questioned Again?

Today the Virginian Pilot reported that James City County was reversing their decision to support the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority.
I understand their thought. None of the projects that will be produced by the HRTA will affect JCC (except maybe the I64 widening). Even though they will not be affected, they will still be required to pay all of the fees that the HRTA will be collecting. They don't believe the philosophy of a regional economy.
I think that we can fix this problem though. The HRTA was created to do only certain projects set by the legislature. They cannot change these projects. I think that they should be made to be the Hampton Roads branch of VDOT. They should be funded by the state in an amount equal to what VDOT would spend on average in our area. I think that they should be allowed to collect tolls and fees to further fund themselves. This plan would keep our money where it belongs. They should also be able to modify, add, or eliminate projects. This would allow for a local organization to hear local comments on what should happen, instead of a far, far away legislature deciding for us.
As for their priorities, they should improve our interstates, build new tunnels, and focus on light rail. Our interstates have potholes the size of small cars in some places. This is not acceptable. Furthermore, we cannot neglect our tunnels any longer. The Midtown tunnel should be 2 lanes in each direction with a right side shoulder, and the HRBT, MMBT, and Downtown tunnels should be 3 lanes in each direction with a right side shoulder. All 4 of these should also be built with a multi-purpose center tube for light rail. The HRBT should be first, followed by the Midtown. After that, the next 2 should be worked consecutively with light rail. We could build a regional world-class light rail system for cheaper than the current projects.

The Future of Kirn Memorial Library

As we all may know, Kirn Memorial Library is scheduled to be torn down this year to make room for the Light Rail System. There are many different view on the building ranging from eyesore to wonder. No matter what it looks like, it is still Norfolk's Central Library. I think that its replacement should remain downtown and should be the centerpiece for a continued redevelopment. Kirn was build during the last redevelopment stretch in the 60s. Why not continue that tradition?
I think that the new Library should be built right where Kirn is now. Yes, I know theres going to be a rail line in the middle, but hear me out. I think that the new building could be build OVER the light rail station. Image a steel and glass structure. I think that 5 stories would be good. The bottom floor would have the elevators to the library and the indoor light rail stop. This would save the city money and time in having to find a new location. It would also be a great way to have our central library connected and easily accessible by the rest of the city and/or region.
Furthermore, the city could even create a public/private partnership of some sort. Land in that spot of downtown is hard to come by and of high value to developers. If we could find a developer to build a 15-20 story office/condo building, we could chip in and secure the first few floors for a library. People would pay big bucks to live or have offices there due to the fact they dont have to brave the elements to get on the light rail.
Naysayers go on and nay, but when it comes to efficient use of resources, this is the best way to go. Whether it be to save time, money or the environment, this would help.

You're voting for who?!?

Recently there has been a lot of complaining about having to publicly announce your party of choosing on primary day. Although I agree that this should be kept private, I think that there is another issue that is more important. There is no proof that your vote even was recorded. No paper trail. Now, I use a computer (obviously). I know that more than once I've saved something on my computer only to find out later that it never saved. I've had computers lose files. I've even had once lose an entire hard drive. I'm sure you've had similar problems. My point is that these all-electronic machines have no back-ups. What if someone bumps the machine and it loses memory? What if someone for whatever reason walks up to the machine with a magnet, erasing the entire day's worth of votes? It has already been proven that a virus could be uploaded to the machines to alter the outcomes of an election.
My proposal is this: We need a machine that gives out a hard copy for voters to check over themselves. These hard-copies are then used to count the vote, NOT THE MACHINES. You can verify a person, you can not verify a computer.

How about... benefit of the LAW?

Re:"Give Police Benefit of Doubt" Letter to the Editor, Virginian Pilot, Homer Stinson.

Why do the police need the benefit of doubt? They have the benefit of being police officers. If a policeman shoots a suspect on the street because he 'thought' he might have a gun, the policeman gets a few days of leave and then comes back to work. If a civilian shoots a police officer because he feels reasonably threatened in his own home, he gets charged with capital murder. Where is the justice here? Last time I checked, a person was innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers.
I believe that this man, Ryan Frederick, is genuinely innocent of capital murder. If he was sleeping as he claims, even if the police identified themselves outside, how would he have heard them? Even if he was awake, he had his dogs barking at the door. I have 2 dogs and I know that when they are barking, I couldn't hear the police from 3 feet away, let alone outside.
Besides, why did they need to bust in to get him? Everyone knows that the element of surprise is one of the most important deciding factors of any fight. Why would the police enter a residence of which they are completely unfamiliar when they could hide outside and wait for him to come out. He had a regular work schedule.
Perhaps Chesapeake should re-evaluate its policy on police informants. They lost a good police officer this time and last time (when they shot up the lady's house) they further diminished their reputation. When they are done with that, they should rethink the citizen oversight committee, before their police cause more crime than they stop.

PS -Apparently they DO read the paper

I wrote a letter to the editor about the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority. I checked their page on Monday, the 11th of February. It said that their next meeting was the 16th of January. My letter was published on the 13th of February. I just checked their website again, and it now says, "Next Meeting Time and Date To Be Determined." Nice. If you type "javascript:alert(document.lastModified)" into the address bar of your browser, a window pops up with the time and date of the last update. This shows that HRTA's meetings page was updated at 08:58:21 AM on 2/13/08. Now all we have to do is get a logical agenda for them printed and they might have something constructive to do.

One more thing...

One more thing to add to my regional LRT plan. The total projected cost of all six projects that the HRTA is responsible for is over $10 billion dollars. We may be able to get 135 miles out of $4.2 billion, but we can get 312 miles out of $10 billion. That is more than enough to solve our transportation problem in a reasonable, environmentally-friendly way.
In addition, one of the main arguments for expanding out highways is the evacuation factor. Can you imagine 1.5 million people driving out on our current roads? Even expanded, thats still a lot of people, especially when it takes 2 hours to get to Richmond we the traffic IS moving. Now going with the LRT plan, if we connected it to the proposed high speed rail to Richmond (http://www.rich2hrrail.info). This trail would travel at an estimated speed of over 100 mph. That means Norfolk to Richmond in an hour or less. If people were evacuated using mass transportation, we could be evacuated quicker with less traffic on the roads. It would also speed up the process of returning after an evacuation, when interstates resume to normal operating procedures (they switch to an all-lanes-out procedure during an evacuation). It seems that once again, outdated thinking and stubborn pride is tromping over reasoned logic.

A 3rd Crossing... to where?

Recently, on the front page of the VA Pilot, there was an article about whether it would be more effective to widen the HRBT or make a 3rd Crossing.
First, lets take a look at the crossings we have today. The HRBT crosses from Norfolk on the Southside to Hampton on the Peninsula via I-64. The second crossing, the MMBT, crosses from Suffolk on the Southside to Newport News on the Peninsula via I-664.
Now lets look at the proposed third crossing. It would connect Norfolk on the Southside to ... Suffolk on the Southside... How is it a third crossing? It would take heavy traffic from 64 and transport them down a gridlocked 564 (just from base traffic) and put it on the heavy-traffic 664. It would do nothing but delay the inevitable: gridlock.
A real solution would be back to mass transit. The Peninsula is looking at their own light rail system. Norfolk's is under construction. The 3rd crossing would cost an estimated $4.2 billion. Norfolk's 7.4 mile light rail will cost $232.1 million or about $32 million a mile. If the 3rd crossing money was used on light rail, we could get 130 miles of light rail.
I have made a rough map that could cover Hampton Roads by connecting key places such as:
-The OceanFront including Rudee Loop
-VB Convention Center
-VB Municipal Center
-VB TCC
-Great Bridge
-Greenbriar
-Chesapeake Municipal Center
-Cedar Road
-Norfolk Airport
-Little Creek Amphib Base
-Military Circle/Janaf
-ODU
-Norfolk TCC
-Chesapeake TCC
-Portsmouth TCC
-Norfolk Naval Station
-Norfolk Naval Shipyard
-Downtown Portsmouth
-Newport News
-Colosseum
-HR Convention Center
-Langley
-Lynnhaven Mall
The cost to connect all of these with Light Rail? At Norfolk's $32 million/ mile, this 121 mile addition would cost $192 million LESS than the proposed 3rd crossing. Why not create a SOLUTION to congestion instead of a delay? The $192 million would go towards the crossings for the Light Rail. In the end the cost would be no more than the 3rd crossing. This would be much more beneficial to the region in more ways than I can count/list here.
Contact your representatives (city/state) and tell then about this alternative.

View my map

We ARE still in a drought, right?

According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) we in Hampton Roads are in an area classified as having a 'severe' drought. Now, in a drought, what is the one thing everyone should do? CONSERVE WATER. I am sure that everyone already knows this. Unless of course you have been charged with demo-ing the skating rink at MacArthur Center. Here, instead of letting the ice melt, they spray the ice with a high volume water hose in an attempt to wash away the ice. I am not kidding. Meanwhile, hundreds of gallons of water are running across the sidewalk and the street into the storm drain. I'm sure that'll be safe tonight when it refreezes. Here's an idea, if its cold enough where the ice wont melt, why not keep the rink open. I'm sure the net profits will be higher as opposed to draining thousands of gallons of water right into the storm drain. Come on, people.

Background Checks at Gun Shows

Theres the headline: "HOUSE PANEL REJECTS BILL TO TIGHTEN RULES OVER GUN SHOW SALES" - This article references the families of VA Tech victims and implies that this bill might have helped. Two problems.

First, The so-called gun show loophole. People who use this term will tell you that background checks are not required at gun shows. This is TRUE. However, federal law requires that all gun dealers perform background checks before they sell a firearm. This federal law DOES apply at gun shows. That means if I go to a gun show and buy a gun from someone that has set up a table, I must get a background check performed on me. Now, back to this 'loophole.' This 'loophole' refers to the lack of background checks required by private owners to sell. If I own a gun and I go to a gun show, or anywhere for that matter, and I want to sell my gun to a dealer, why should I need to background check the dealer? If I wanted to sell to another private individual, why should I need to get a background check? Say I own a car. I want to sell it to my next-door neighbor. Should I need to get a copy of his driving record? What if he is a DUI repeat offender? How would I know if I didn't have his driving record? This is not required because people use their best judgment when selling something to someone else. It is the same with a gun. I would not sell to someone who appeared shady or gave me a bad feeling inside. Its called instinct and we have been taught to ignore it. This bill was a joke and the end result would cause no difference in illegal guns. In a 2001 report produced by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, they found where firearm offenders found their guns:

Looking at these statistics we find that only .7% of illegal guns used in crimes came from gun shows. That leaves99.3% of illegal guns to come from other sources. If they want to ban the source, why don't they ban drug dealers? ... Oh wait, thats already illegal. (I guess banning things doesn't stop law breakers from breaking the law) Enough about why the loophole doesn't exist, now about why the VA Tech Schooling holds no connection.

The article's first paragraph says:
"Tearful parents of students murdered and wounded at the Virginia Tech shooting rampage in the spring were rebuffed Friday in their efforts to broaden laws requiring Virginians to undergo police background checks before buying guns."
I understand VA Tech was a tragedy. I understand that the families of the victims have gone through hell. What I don't understand is how this law would have helped avert this tragedy. Cho bought his gun at a store. According to CNN, "Cho paid $571 for a 9 mm Glock 19 pistol just over a month ago, the owner of Roanoke Firearms told CNN." So how would this law have helped? Cho WAS subject to a background check. We need a law to coordinate the some sort of database of the mentally ill into the database for the background checks. That law would help. Along with much stiffer penalties for selling/buying/possessing an illegal gun.

Better HRT for students .. and everyone else

I ride the bus. When it opens I will ride the Tide. But currently, the bus only works for short distances inside Norfolk. If I wanted to go anywhere else though,it might as well be a dead end. To go to Chesapeake TCC, it takes approximately 2 hours and I can't use it for night classes; the last bus runs out of the TCC at 6:45 pm and the next doesn't get there until 6:45 am and its the same to the VB TCC. To get to the Portsmouth TCC, I need 5 transfers and 2 hours. You can forget the nearly 3 hours to get from Chesapeake to VB TCC or the 4 hours to get to the Portsmouth from the Chesapeake. (For some reason its actually half an hour quicker to go from the VB TCC to the Ports. TCC than from the Ches. TCC)
Anyway, Light rail will eventually make this better if they can get it throughout the region. Until then, HRT needs to have bus routes that are more direct to the college campuses. There are alot of Chesapeake or VB residents that attend ODU. At today's gas prices it is sometimes cheaper to rent a house closer than it is to drive.
This shouldn't be the case. Contrary to popular belief, college students today do not mind riding the bus. College students today, however, want everything to happen instantly; no waiting. That is why most don't ride the bus. If it takes longer than 30 minutes, its a waste of time. I know that they can make long, effective routes that are quick. Take the Downtown/Oceanfront express; Norfolk to the Beach in 30 minutes. That bus is packed to the limit for most of the day.
Question: So why not introduce more routes like this?
Answer: Because HRT cannot make its own decisions. Thats right, they are essentially crippled in bureaucracy. In order for HRT to create a new route, they must get city Council approval for EACH city the new route passes through.
Solution: First extend the Light Rail to the Beach. Second, all the main bus routes need to run North/South to the Light Rail line while secondary bus routes can run East/West to convenient locations that are further away from the light rail. Third, HRT needs to be given the power to do its own job. They should be able to create and manage bus routes without council approval. Finally, in addition to the current express routes, express routes need to be created to allow fast, convenient travel from each TCC campus in the area as well as a Park-and-Ride in VB and Chesapeake that goes to ODU.

Tolls on HR's Roads

The new HRTA is looking into tolls on our roads. While I do not immediately condone tolls, I do object to tolls as high as $2.05 for the Midtown Tunnel. They say the toll was made high as a way of "thinning out the congestion and urging people to car pool." First, how would tolling the Midtown Tunnel thin congestion?? You can't go an alternate route, unless you go for the Downtown Tunnel, but they want a toll on that too; not to mention it would make the DT much more congested. Second, not everybody CAN carpool. I take the Midtown Tunnel twice every Wednesday for this entire Semester to go to the Portsmouth Campus of TCC. Lets do the math for a minute: 16 weeks x $2.05 toll x 2 trips = $65.60. $65!! College students like myself do not have much money. I take the bus to the Norfolk Campus on Tuesdays, thats $48 for the Semester (well under the amount of gasoline used and Parking) I can not take the bus to the Portsmouth Campus. It would take me 5 transfers and 2 hours. Perhaps a better way to solve the traffic congestion would be better public transportation.
Tolls slow down traffic flow. They drive up the cost of Single Occupancy Vehicle drivers. Normally this would drive people to find cheaper, quicker ways. This is why subways are so popular in NYC and Atlanta and DC. In Hampton Roads, however, there is no efficient mass transit. The light rail is a start but when it opens it still will not be as effective as it could be.
Lets reform Mass Transit before we start wasting billions of dollars on projects that only encourage Single Occupancy Vehicles.

What about the ones using it?

In the paper today, there was a little blurb on the right side of the Hampton Roads section that announced that Norfolk will hold a Light Rail Meeting tomorrow at 10 am. First, 24 hours is NOT advanced notice. Second, why the 10 am meeting? The people most likely to use this service will be at work at 10 am. I start work at 7. I thought that they wanted this light rail to succeed. It certainly will not if they only get ideas from people that will not be riding it on a regular basis. 10 am is fine for a Saturday, but on the work day, stick to the evening.

Where are the police?

Friday night (11 January 2008) I was sitting in the center turn lane of Battlefield Blvd with my blinker on, waiting to turn into a gas station. It was about midnight. As I wait I observe a Chesapeake police officer speeding towards me with his light on. He was driving down the center lane (the one I'm in) traveling at least 70 mph. He continue towards me until the last possible second, when he cut back over, a mere 20 feet in front of me. Of course, I could not get a car number, he was going much too fast.
Remember that citizen oversight board last year? You know, the one that Chesapeake insisted was unnecessary? Perhaps something like this would make the whip themselves into shape. Day after day, I see police officers use their lights to go through red lights. They use their patrol cars for personal errands (bank, grocery store, etc.). They drive horribly (speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out, etc.). It not just Chesapeake cops, either. They may be most notorious for it, but I know that VB and Norfolk cops do it too.
Cut the bureaucratic crap. If they can not police themselves, then let us do it. The taxpayers pay for the police officers to protect them, not endanger or harass them. The police ask us if we have nothing to hide, why can't they search. That question can and should be pointed back at them. Officer, if you have nothing to hide, then where's the problem?

RE: Norfolk council debating skate park for waterfront parcel (VA Pilot, 25 Dec. 07)

This skate park is much needed. Cool places like this for youth are essential to keep them from causing trouble. Kids today get into trouble because their is not enough for them to do. Why is it that an adult can go say, play tennis or golf at a tax supported venue but youth cannot? The youth of Norfolk spend a much larger percentage of their money then that of their parents. They have no other expenses. They may not own a house or car that produces tax dollars, but they spend a fortune in the cities stores and businesses. Getting the youth off the street and doing something else is a wonderful idea. To explain it to those who are closed-minded and pay no mind to skateboards, skateboarding requires an extreme amount of skill and guts. If we could channel that mentality towards creative activities, the area would benefit greatly. Besides, in the way of development, the area around a skate park would be prime retail space for a clothing store, a skate shop, maybe a small, simple restaurant. The opportunities are endless. But for those who have closed single-track minds, go back to the fifties. For the rest of us, think out-of-the-box. The man who kept the state of mind of past never made a dime. The man who takes a new idea and nurtures it, made the fortune.

Light Rail for VA Beach?

Recently in the Hampton Roads Business Journal (Inside Business), there was an article about how the Virginia Beach City Council is trying to buy the rail line that runs from Newtown Rd. to Cypress Ave. (It used to run to the Oceanfront but they decided a bike trail would be better) This attempt at purchase may lead one to believe that they are considering Light Rail. Virginia Beach has changed alot since the initial vote on Light Rail. What would the early 90s Beach do with Light Rail? Well hopefully this is one step closer to making a more united region and a much more complete mass transit system. I hope now they realize that a bike path along this track would NOT be money well spent.

Imagine that!

This is my letter to the editor on 9/21/07 (Make Light Rail Regional)

--->With the Norfolk light rail project finally about to be off the ground, it's time that other area cities started to look into it. This line will only work if it become regional. Virginia Beach could build the line all the way to the Oceanfront. That, combined with a line from the airport, would allow tourists to get to the beach very quickly.

Chesapeake could also benefit. With its many international companies, a connection to the airport would certainly bring in company executives and could also cash in on hotel rooms for Virginia Beach tourists.

Furthermore, if this project could bridge the water, the Hampton Roads third crossing might actually be effective. The line could then transfer to the proposed Hampton Roads/Richmond high speed line (www.rich2hrrail.info).

There is great possibility here, but it will take the cities setting aside their histories and differences. This regional line is just what the area needs to get out of our interstate cul-de-sac.

Hampton Roads will certainly be a force to reckon with in the international community. But only if we work together. <---

Interestingly enough, it bears many resemblances to a segment of an article on 12/9/07 (The Tide is rising, fans of Light rail Say) It says:

City and transit leaders heralded it as the first leg of a regional system that they hope to expand into Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and across the water to the Peninsula.
Mayor Paul Fraim said he expects the Harbor Park station will become a transit hub that eventually connects light rail to a highspeed rail line that would run to Richmond, Washington and beyond.

Maybe the Norfolk City Council actually has started listening to its residents.

Norfolk Light Rail

In response to "Light Rail Vs. the Smart Car" (December 1, 2007) A fleet a Smart cars, while being less expensive, would not solve anything. This plan would essentially double the amount of cars on the road and in the garage. Size doesn't matter. They are still cars on the road. The key to successful long term transportation is to increase efficiency. A smart car my get 68 mpg, but it still burns gasoline. What part of the electric light rail burns gasoline? The power is most likely generated at the Surry Nuclear Power Station or the Lake Anna Nuclear Power Station, neither of which create emissions. And besides, do you know what it would be like exiting a Norfolk garage at rush hour if there were TWICE the cars in it???