Richmond 53, Hampton Roads 27

I finally understand why some people in Richmond don't seem to care much about the terrible traffic in Hampton Roads or around D.C.: They don't believe in it.

If a Richmonder's primary experience with congestion comes on that city's highways, that's no surprise.

One evening this week, I passed through during an evening rush hour. I didn't tap a brake. By the time I got on U.S. 460 near Petersburg, there was not another car visible behind me and hadn't been for miles. At 6:10 p.m.

Empty highways there seem hardly more unusual than a five-mile backup is here.

I've always held my tongue about that disparity. I figure decent roads and gorgeous neighborhoods are just compensation for having to put up with so much state government.

But on Wednesday, as my commute between Suffolk and Norfolk stretched toward an hour each way because of nothing more than everyday traffic in everyday spots, I'd had enough. The differences between us and them are simply too stark, and not just because Richmond drivers are still willing to pay tolls.

I know the history. I know Richmond gets such good highways because the Byrd machine needed smooth roads to ease the path for its army of cyborg apple-pickers. They teach that in every Virginia school.

Still, can you imagine ever traversing Hampton Roads without kicking the brakes? When was the last time you got quickly through a river crossing (or from Norfolk to the Oceanfront ) on any summer weekend?

This isn't new. The disparity is not the result of a new highway in Richmond or another busted bridge in Hampton Roads. The difference has been around for decades.

The Texas Transportation Institute releases an annual study on traffic. Hampton Roads ranked 27th among American cities in "total congestion delay." Richmond ranked 53rd, right behind Baton Rouge, which I'm pretty sure has backups only during Mardi Gras.

In 1982, the earliest year for the rankings, Richmond was 58th. Hampton Roads was 22nd. (I'm going to stipulate that the D.C. suburbs are far worse than either. But that's only appropriate.)

The deeper you go into the Texas numbers, the more maddening they become, especially if you're from Hampton Roads and traveling through Richmond. According to the TTI, a trip through Richmond at rush hour is nearly indistinguishable in duration from a trip in the middle of the night. In Hampton Roads, of course, it's very distinguishable.

Richmonders benefit in all kinds of ways. Commerce proceeds without worrying about the length of the backup at a tunnel. They don't have to consult their computers before leaving the office to figure out which route to take home. That's because Richmond's traffic is so chill.

According to the TTI report, Richmond ranks a cool 90th on its "commuter stress index." Hampton Roads is a very angry, frustrated and late 21st. I bet in Richmond they even know how to merge without flipping somebody off or causing a half-mile backup.

I think I've proved my case: Richmond is out to get us. It has apparently succeeded.

In Hampton Roads, the usual folks from the usual places usually decry any attempt to build transportation alternatives. They grouse about tolls, which are a fact of life in Richmond. They'll complain that you can't throw money at more roads or rails or bike paths or helicopters. They've been saying this for years, in between bouts of rooting for economic collapse as a means of clearing the roads.

Let's examine what that kind of talk has gotten us in Hampton Roads. While they've been yapping, the rest of the state has been building roads with our money and their own.

For decades, as Hampton Roads has groused about taxes and stewed in traffic and waited at tunnels, Richmonders have been sailing on highways so empty you could land a plane there in the middle of rush hour. You can also get goods and services from place to place with something like speed and ease. You can conduct business and get home in time for soccer practice.

Transportation may not be a contest. Even so, Richmond is winning.

Just take a trip up there during rush hour. It'll make a believer out of you.

Donald Luzzatto is The Pilot's editorial page editor. E-mail:donald.luzzatto@pilotonline.com.