Please donate blood Thursday in Fincastle
Editor:
Please remember to come out to the Fincastle Methodist Family Life Center tomorrow (Thursday) to donate the gift of life– blood– from 12 noon until 6 p.m. It only takes a few minutes of your time and you will be glad you gave.
Sam Saunders
Bloodmobile Coordinator
Thanks for supporting bake sale for Rise Against Hunger
Editor:
Buchanan Presbyterian Church would like to thank the Buchanan community for its support of the Rise Against Hunger bake sale fundraiser. The bake sale profits totaled $918.30.
These funds will be used to buy supplies for the August 25 project at the Buchanan Fire Department from 10 a.m.-12 noon. Rise Against Hunger is an international program designed to end hunger. Bags of food were sent to Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico last year during the hurricanes. This program also aids foreign countries in need of food.
The church’s Mission and Outreach Committee also appreciated the donations of baked goods and contributions from the following churches: Buchanan Baptist Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Mt. Bethel Church of the Brethren, Lithia Baptist Church, and the congregation of Buchanan Presbyterian Church.
Buchanan Presbyterian Church
Mission & Outreach Chair Liz Provost
Opposes truck tolls as way to finance safety improvements on Interstate 81
(Editor’s note: Liniel Gregory of Fincastle shared the comments he made to the members of the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment, Virginia Department of Transportation and Department of Rail and Public Transportation at last Thursday’s I-81 Corridor Safety Improvement Plan hearing held in Roanoke. The agencies are charged with compiling public comments and developing a strategy for making selected safety improvements to I-81 in a report to the General Assembly this winter.)
I am a native Virginian and resident of Botetourt County. I am a transportation consultant, owner-managing member of Translaw LLC and a member of the Association of Transportation Law Professionals since 1987.
I don’t have a dog in this fight, but what I do have is 55 years of experience in the transportation industry primarily in state and federal compliance and safety. All of you members and the general public are recipients of the service of heavy commercial trucks to your homes and businesses with food, clothes, building materials, medicine and commodities you use every day.
I do not disagree with a need for improvements for all segments of the I-81 corridors, but I am concerned that every time something comes up about I-81 it always focuses upon commercial trucks to meet the costs and use of I-81. The current plan considers the tolling of all commercial trucks, restrictions on lane usage and penalties for trucks in no fault crashes and delays in clearance times to clear the road of multi-closures caused by wrecks. This was published in The Fincastle Herald in January of this year with a letter to the General Assembly asking to “limit trucks to the right lane at places and study truck tolls to raise money for the improvements.”
I opposed the toll question in April 2006 during the I-81 hearings conducted in Roanoke. I continue to oppose tolls today that would add more financial burdens to the trucks to bring your and my stuff to our homes and businesses that will result in higher costs to each of us with higher freight rates. Trucks already pay more for diesel fuel and road taxes than gas powered vehicles, plus thousands of dollars in license fees, insurance rates, compliance with Federal Motor Carrier rules and regulations and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the commercial equipment to provide jobs that bring us our necessary products.
The proposed tolls seem to partially address the involvement of commercial truck crashes, which is simply not fair. Of course, crashes causing fatalities, injuries and property damages are tragedies. However, studies by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, the National Highway Safety Administration, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute found in 8,309 fatal car-truck crashes that 81 percent of the time car drivers were assigned at fault. Other studies for all types of accidents over a six-year period determined cars were at fault from 71 percent to 91 percent of the time. (Commercial Car Journal – ATA Report 80 percent of car-truck crashes caused by car drivers)
That’s just one more reason the proposed toll is unfair to assess all trucks tolls on I-81.
What’s the solution? I certainly do not have a crystal ball or magic wand, but there are some alternatives that should and would reduce the crashes and faults on I-81.
Number one would be more and stricter enforcement by local, state and federal law. Over the past three years I have had to travel between Botetourt and Northern Virginia many, many times using I-81 and have noted how few enforcement vehicles have been on I-81.
Signs on highways regarding speed, curves, hills, school zones, towns, hospitals, gas stations, food and rest are nice but they are only advisory in nature and are no substitute for enforcement.
More emphasis in school driver training classes about trucks and sharing the road with trucks like the No Zone programs and street smart programs for new young drivers must be utilized. The DMV should issue special licenses to operators of recreational vehicles and motor homes, etc. that require specific rules of operation, health, vision and driving record reviews. More attention should be given to compliance and safety when renewing all driver’s licenses.
Lane usage should be required and enforced on I-81 and left lane users who drive the entire length of I-81 at 10, 15 and 20 MPH under the posted speed limits should be cited accordingly. If you want to admire the scenery and views ,go on the Blue Ridge Parkway or Skyline Drive and stay off I-81.
In conclusion, let me say these planning sessions are very important for public input, but the folks in charge must include more members of the commercial trucking industry in their studies and planning so that everyone can better understand the problem and help arrive at mutually acceptable and satisfying solutions.
Liniel Gregory
Fincastle
