I RECEIVED A LOT of feedback about a column that appeared two weeks ago.
Bill Perigo, a retired Howard County police officer, offered some insight into Laura Strott's complaints, which appeared in the column Dec. 10 about the intersection of Vollmerhausen and Guilford roads.
"I get a kick out of people who say things like, 'I dare you to find anyone driving below 50 mph,'" he said. "I dare her to find anyone traveling 50 mph without using ... [some] speed-measuring device. No one can judge speed based on appearance, and ... on a road like Vollmerhausen" which "has a lot of hills and curves, visual perception of speed is deceptive. A vehicle coming toward you on a curve appears to be going much faster than if it is coming straight at you."
He also offered some perspective about Martin Kirchhausen's comments in that column about right turn on red from Ridge Road onto U.S. 40. Kirchhausen suggested that in some places, among them the Ridge Road intersection, right turn on red should not be allowed.
Perigo believes that right turn on red is safe at that intersection: "When you turn right, you have to turn into the right-most lane available for travel, and when turning left, in the left-most lane. Therefore, if you are turning left onto a road that has two lanes each way, you have to turn into the left lane. A person approaching from the opposite direction turning right has to turn into the right lane. Both lanes of traffic can be moving at the same time. When turning from Ridge Road onto U.S. 40, since it is three lanes each way, no one can turn directly into the middle lane. You have to turn onto [U.S.] 40 in your respective lane, then you can signal and change lanes into the center lane," he said.
A mother's request
Linda Heinbauch wonders where all the good drivers went.
"My daughter recently got her learner's permit and is rapidly becoming too scared to drive," she said.
"When we go out driving, we stick to single-lane, low-traffic roads. Because she is learning, she's cautious and follows the speed limit. I cannot count the number of times that horns have sounded and lights flashed because we are following the 'rules of the road.' All the while our 'Rookie Driver' magnetized bumper [sign] is proudly displayed! ... Please give beginning drivers a break!"
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's experience. I would remove the Rookie Driver sign - there's no need to draw attention to your daughter's inexperience on the road. And in this crazy world of ours, it might be a magnet for drivers with screwed-up priorities to play cat-and-mouse with her.
But continue doing what you have been. Continue driving with her, and discuss possible scenarios and the best ways to handle them.
Winter weather
We've experienced some winter weather, and it's likely that we'll see more of the same in the next couple of months.
For information about state roads, log onto www.chart.state. md.us for lists of snow emergency plans in effect and weather-related state road closings.
If you live on a state-maintained road (roads with numbers, such as Route 216 or U.S. 1) and have questions or concerns about snow removal, call one of the State Highway Administration's maintenance facilities. In Howard County, call the Dayton Maintenance Facility, 410-531-5533; in Carroll County, call the Westminster Maintenance Facility, 410-848- 6565; and in Frederick County, call the Frederick Maintenance Facility, 301-624-8251.
The Howard County Department of Public Works is responsible for removing snow from 3,196 county roads covering 960 miles. Snow is removed by 88 snowplows, and roads are made less slick with 10,000 tons of salt.
At the first sign of snow, county highway crews spread de-icing materials on primary, secondary, then residential roads. When the snow stops, crews plow primary, secondary and then residential roads. During a small snowstorm, the effort takes about 24 to 36 hours to complete, so patience is the name of the game.
The progress of the county's snow-removal trucks can be followed by logging onto Howard County's homepage at www.co. ho.md.us, then clicking on the snowflake icon. The "Snow Removal Tracking System" will provide access to maps of the county, which will indicate the status of the county's roads.
Do yourselves and the hard-working snow removal crews a favor during winter storms: Park your cars in your driveways and off the streets and cul-de-sacs. This enables snowplows to turn around and clear snow, and emergency personnel to get to where they need to go.
What's your traffic trauma? Contact Jody K. Vilschick at elison@us.net or send faxes to 410-715-2816. Technophobes can mail letters to Traffic Talk, The Sun in Howard County, 5570 Sterrett Place, Suite 300, Columbia 21044.