Roads to hell

I live on a winding and narrow country road that doesn't get a whole lot of traffic. If two cars meet each has to drop a wheel off the pavement and slow down (of course there are jerks who don't) in order to pass safely. The situation is made tougher when one (or both) of the vehicles is a large feed truck, farm equipment, or school bus. Then things come to a virtual halt as drivers carefully navigate past each other trying to avoid ditches and deep holes along the roadside.

Blind curves because of
lack of mowing/trimming
cause accidents!

A few days ago there was a head-on accident just up the road. Luckily both vehicles had air bags, speeds were low, and the injuries were minor. While driver inattention or unfamiliarity with the roads may have contributed to the accident, a major factor was the lack of mowing and years of neglected roadside brush/tree clearing that could have improved the line-of-sight for both vehicles.

While NOVA and Hampton Roads have their well-publicized congestion and other traffic issues, many in rural Virginia are facing potholes, branches and limbs, and other unsafe conditions on our rural backroads. Budget cuts and the increasing privatization of road maintenance services... decisions made by the governor and General Assembly... are responsible for the deterioration of our scenic country roads.

About this time last year I called VDOT to report that trees and brush encroaching on the road were becoming a safety issue, especially in the spring and summer when leaves are lush. A private contractor came out and surveyed the area and then... never returned. With a warm spring and good moisture weeds and thistles are four and five feet tall yet no mowing has occurred. This adds to the visual obstruction problem.

We didn't have much snow last winter but the private plow boys were still running... and I imagine charging their standard mileage rate to the state. One evening three plows went by (with plows down and scraping nothing except for the times they strayed off the road and gouged my lawn) this stretch of road to deal with a minor two inch snowfall that would have been gone early the next day. I'm sure the state received a bill... or bills... at least I wasn't the only one gouged.

Here is the point -- the failure of the governor and General Assembly to get serious about transportation funding and the GOP rush to privatize services has left many of us in rural Virginia less safe on roads. Needed maintenance is often delayed or neglected while private contractors may be double dipping and overcharging. We were far better off when VDOT did the road maintenance and snow removal themselves rather than managing private contractors. Beware the unintended consequences of Republican "good intentions."Profits in a few hands while shoddy services affect us all.

County roads take me home. But slowly.

Curren to Bell "You hit it in the rough"

Dickie Bell has been saying to anyone who will listen that he is a conservative and supports only fiscally responsible policies. Well, anyone who knows Bell has questions about his history of "fiscal responsibility." Today Erik Curren called him out on the issues of fiscal responsibility, prudent city management, and failing to put public safety before the nine iron. Curren's press release:

Staunton, Va. -- October 12, 2009 -- Staunton City Councilman Richard P. "Dickie" Bell voted against building Staunton's new fire station but he voted for spending $600,000 on the city's public golf course, which raises questions for Bell's opponent, Democratic nominee for 20th District Delegate Erik Curren.

Residents of the 20th District take fire and rescue protection for granted. But when a family or business suffers the tragedy of a major fire or other emergency, their distance from the nearest fire station can mean the difference between life and death, or between damage and demolition.

"Firefighters and other first responders risk their lives daily," said Curren. "Surely we owe firefighters the resources they need to get to the scene as quickly as possible. And we owe it to our families and businesses to make sure that our communities have sufficient fire stations to keep us safe."

Curren questions whether 20th District Republican nominee Dickie Bell appreciates the importance of adequately funding fire and rescue services.

"In this campaign, my opponent has said that he would fund core services at the state level. Yet, he refused to support expanding fire protection in Staunton. Does that mean he would not adequately fund public safety, a key core service, at the state level? Voters have a right to know."

Despite Bell's no-vote, Staunton did approve and build Fire and Rescue Station Number Two on Grubert Avenue. Since it opened in the spring of 2006, the new substation has already saved lives and prevented millions of dollars in property damage, according to local officials.

When fire breaks out, every minute in response time is crucial, because a fire can double in size every 30 seconds and completely engulf a building in seven minutes. With the new substation, 96% of the city is within five minutes of a firehouse, according to Staunton Fire Chief Scott Garber.

Curiously, though he voted against the fire station, Bell voted to spend more than $600,000 to pay for a new irrigation system for Staunton's public golf course in Gypsy Hill Park. Bell himself is an avid golfer who plays at the course on a regular basis.

"My opponent's priorities seem mixed up," Curren said. "Does he consider golf to be a core service of government? My opponent seems to think that taxpayers should pay for a golf course but not for better fire protection. Voters are right to ask, if my opponent were sent to Richmond, would he put special interests and frivolous spending ahead of the public interest and core services like transportation, education, and public safety? If so, that's not fiscal conservatism -- that's fiscal irresponsibility."