Sunday, June 29, 2008
Racing through Giles County
Christian Trejbal
Recent columns
- Making sense of local elections
- Voters have only themselves to blame
- Money flows freely to local candidates
- Candidates contemplate a little big-box store
From the RoundTable blog
I drive north from the New River Valley often enough that I have almost memorized the twists and turns of U.S. 460 between Blacksburg and West Virginia. They provide moments of excitement not found on straight highways. Then the New River bursts into view or the Blue Ridge Mountains bring the horizon close, and I struggle to hold my eyes on the road.
Days later, I return from wherever and the familiarity of 460 reminds me that I am almost home.
All in all, it's a pleasant stretch of road through Giles County.
Sometimes, though, the scenery passes too slowly. I look forward to crossing the border into a land where speed limits are higher and radar detectors legal. On the way back, I curse Virginia's slow highways that delay my arrival after hours behind the wheel.
Then, last fall, things got a little better. The Virginia Department of Transportation increased speed limits on some stretches of 460.
Back in 2004, the General Assembly passed a couple of bills that directed VDOT to think about raising the speed limit on some state roads. Over the next couple of years, the department looked at the options, talked to local officials and law enforcement, gauged safety concerns and so on. It concluded that 15.5 miles of the 28.5 miles in Giles County could handle faster cars.
"We did the study, went through the process, determined it was safe for that stretch of road and changed the signs," VDOT spokesman Jason Bond explained.
Road crews put up the new signs in September. Now motorists can legally drive 50 mph near Glen Lyn, 60 mph on three other stretches and even 65 mph on the Pearisburg Bypass. They were not huge increases, but they shave a few minutes off the trips.
Your thoughts
- What do you think of the speed limits on 460? Post to the RoundTable
There is only one real downside to the increased speed limits. Pulling into the speed-trap towns of 460 now will cause even more wear on the brakes.
Last year, a few of the local highway nannies trotted out the usual paranoia about faster cars getting in more and worse accidents. It's the same tired argument that keeps speeds on Interstate 81 slower than in surrounding states.
Good news! Safety during the last nine months appears unchanged on 460.
Official numbers will not be available for a while, but the law enforcement officers who patrol that stretch of road have a sense of things.
"We've not had any increases that I'm aware of," Giles County Sheriff's Capt. Joe Shanks said.
State police pointed out that speed is not really the issue in highway fatalities in the area. Five miles per hour faster is not a huge difference.
The vast majority of people who die in accidents do not walk away because they were not wearing their seatbelts.
Finally, before the e-mail deluge begins, yes, I know driving faster is bad for the environment. Fuel efficiency declines with speed.
Like most things, it is a balancing act. If we were to take that view to the extreme, we would not use cars at all. Every mile per hour slower reduces greenhouse gas emissions, so the ultimate reduction is not driving at all.
That's not an option. For the foreseeable future, we are stuck with cars. There is no high-speed rail alternative, and teleporters are even further off.
Going 5 miles per hour faster does not make a huge difference in consumption, especially if one drives a car with good mileage to begin with, but it can make a big difference in time behind the wheel when a trip takes hours and crosses state lines.
Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley bureau in Christiansburg.
