There are tons of traffic lights in this area that need to be properly calibrated. You can sit at one light for 3 cycles in many places while there is practically no thru traffic to compete with. You can also drive down Virginia Beach Blvd and sometimes get every single red light all the way. This situation wastes an awful lot of gas.

You really can't compare decent highways to local ones. Most major highways don't have the backups that we have locally, which is where most of your gas is wasted, in the stop and go traffic around here.

When I go on a trip and ride on highways with more reasonable speed limits, like 70mph, I get about a third more miles to a gallon of gas than I do driving locally at 55. To the person who said not to let high school students drive: has it occurred to you that most of them don't live far from school, that buses take a lot more gas than their cars do, and that many only drive because they leave school and go straight to work? I lived in a bad school zone when I was in high school and I worked full time in the summer so I could buy a car to get myself to and from a better school. I also worked at least 20 hours a week when school was in session so that I could buy gas, insurance, clothes and supplies, and maintain the vehicle I needed. Not everyone can provide such things for their children, so teens have to provide it for themselves.

I ride my bicycle to this computer, and I don't pay for it's use. That's why I'm seldom online on the weekends.

First, raise the driving age to 18 and close all high school parking lots to students. Let them ride the "cheese wagon" like I had to.

According to the laws of economics, gas prices are not high enough yet. Only when it forces people to conserve by driving less and driving slower, will it start to level out. I was passed yesterday on I-464 by a jacked up F250 with huge tires...doing about 80 mph. Must be nice to be able to drive a vehicle getting less than 10 mpg. I wish I could be a manly man like that. Thanks for keeping prices high for all of us.

Thanks for the recognition, but if you read, I didn't say you in particular, I was just responding to your comments. And again, I say you are dead wrong. We are a nation of laws, you do NOT pick and choose when to enforce laws and when not too. Laws are laws and need to be followed, and enforced regardless if it is an inconvience to you or not. That is why most people will NEVER vote for your party.

You are a self righteous jerk to presume I drive any way other than courteously. I don't get those tickets, I get held up in the traffic that results from them.

But regardless of who gets them, there is nothing wrong with the notion that Troopers could exercise some judgment when pulling people over for minor, non-hazardous offenses, when doing so will result in thousands of dollars of economic loss due to wasted fuel and lost work time, just to write a $75 HOV ticket in a choke point like the Twin Bridges.

If it were a DWI or Reckless driving where getting the dangerous driver off the road was in question, then stop them any time. But the goal in peak times should be to keep things moving safely and smoothly and not create problems where they are not needed. If they need to write tickets during rush hour, then let them ticket trucks blocking the left lane on Willoughby and the HRBT where they are supposed to stay right. Its just good judgment.

there goes the "doc" again with his widen the roads and drive fast because that's the way the cars are designed. And now he doesn't want the state troopers writing tickets during rush hour because it will make thousands of people late for work. Here's an idea doc, follow the rules, don't pay attention to anything distracting, and quit thinking of only yourself and be courteous on the roads. That way, no one will be speeding or in the HOV lane that doesn't belong there for the trooper to have to pull over and give a ticket, then people won't rubberneck and cause traffic backups or accidents, and people won't be late.

During WWII the speed limit on most highways was 40 MPH by federal decree. It conserved fuel for the war effort.

Of course, we had ration cards for gas, and if you didn't drive slowly to get the best mileage, you'd find yourself without gas and without coupons to buy a few more gallons.

I wouldn't wish a 40 MPH speed limit on anyone, but it got you there......slowly and economically.

But the humans aren't. We're just as stupid when it comes to driving today, as we were when they were first invented. Add to that, cell phones, IPODS, videogames, navigation devices, reading, shaving, putting on make-up, sleepy and impaired drivers, and it doesn't matter a hill of beans how good the cars are, we still suck as drivers. Then factor in that whoever designed the highway system in this area had to be on drugs, and some days around here, it's just like being in the Twilight Zone. So until there's a new and improved human being to go along with the new and improved, better designed and better equipped cars, I'll be keeping it in the right hand lane, trying my hardest to obey the laws and stay out of the way of the Junior wannabees, the old folks, the distracted folks, the folks on the phone, yada, yada, yada.

I hope gas goes up to $7 per gallon. Zeus knows I don't buy the crap.

You may not buy it, but you sure pay for it. Transportation costs are embedded in everything you buy. Unless you're running your computer off 100% solar power, you're paying for gas just by reading this.

Not sure how you live your life without 'buying' gas, but good for you.

jmo

Widening the roads might be the way in some places, but there are others.

The southern approach to the Berkely Bridge is badly designed and causes unnecessary backups, I264 traffic from tunnel should pass under 168 and merge from the right. Same for the junction of 168 and 464 at 64,it should be two lanes wide from 168. The overpass is wide enough, its just marked wrong.

The Southside reversible roadway should be open to all traffic at all times. It is a failure as an HOV incentive but great for relieving congestion.

And, people rubberneck every time a State Trooper writes a ticket, especially if they are pulled over on the left. Troopers should consider whether it is really worthwhile writing an HOV ticket at rush hour if the cost will be a thousand people late for work and hundreds of gallons of gasoline wasted.

Mr. Tabor, if by "improving the flow of traffic," you mean widening the roads, I disagree. That will only encourage more miscreants to hop into 4,000 pounds of steel and recklessly use it for transportation.

I hope gas goes up to $7 per gallon. Zeus knows I don't buy the crap.

For all of you that think driving at 55 mph would save gas. I suggest that you drive at 55 mph and take the money that you save by conserving on gasoline and use it to buy food and other things that you want, however I should have the right to drive the posted (Safe) speed and use the extra gasoline it is only costing me not anyone else

"The key to a solution is a reduction in the cost of gasoline, but this may be difficult with an oil man in the White House"

I suppose what you're saying is that once a democrat gets in office, we can expect to see gas prices similar to what they were prior to W getting into office.

BTW, I seem to remember a promise by house and senate dems prior to the last elelction that said, "elect us and we'll lower gas prices". What ever happened to that promise?

Bush has no more direct control over gas prices than your next door neighbor.

The 55mph speed limit was only a marginal improvement in the 70's and would be almost useless today. First, cars of today get much better gas milage at speed to begin with, and with better aerodynamics, computer controled fuel injection and overdrive transmissions, the difference between 70mph and 55mph fuel economy is much smaller than before.

Secondly, where it exists, the 55mph limit is largely ignored because people place the value of their time above the marginal improvement in fuel economy and the risk of a ticket. It is a simple economic decision.

What would really help save fuel is to improve the flow of traffic. It is the stomp and stop driving that really wastes fuel when congestion prevents smooth flow. That is mostly a function of highwway design, but the 55mph limit makes it worse with most drivers ignoring it and a handful of self righteous dead-pedals refusing the yeild the left lane and disrupting the flow. HOV lanes do more harm than good as well. Go with the flow.

Pardon, but the speed limit on I64 between Indian River and the HRBT is already 55. I was going 65 this morning and among the slower cars on the interstate.

Good luck with that.

jmo

I happen to follow the rules of the road, but look around, people don't care about the rules, they're doing 75 and over. And where are the state troopers and police to enforce the rules? Oh, they're doing the same thing.

I disagree the speed limit at 55 did not do anything except give the police another headache to try and enforce. People who actually care already drive a decent speed limit and most of the rest do not understand what those signs actually mean along with that thing on the left side of the steering wheel which is not supposed to be optional equipment called a blinker. Speeders will speed no matter what the speed limit is and for most 55 mph is nothing more than a nuicense caused by liberals which failed miserbly in the 70's. If you want to end the high price of gas start by drilling on our shores and tapping into the reserves we have then BULID REFINERIES to refine the crude oil which thanks to liberals and enviromentals we have not done since the 70's. We caused this by listing to DO GOODERS and it is up to us to change failed oil policy's and this ENTHANOL has done nothing to help all it did was drive up gas prices and food cost due to shortages in corn.