The first few stories I read today were transportation related, so let’s go ahead and roll with that.

Roads

This could be us, according to Southside officials.

The first, a discussion regarding the proposed tolls to many of the bridges and tunnels leading to the Southside, comes complete with a depiction of the region as a “Ring of Fire.” This image, it turns out, was circulated around city halls and community meetings recently, exemplifying the Southside’s concern over the economic effect of tolling the entrance and exit points of their locations.

For something that should, in theory, flow, hindering the ability to enter and exit freely and easily is like placing a tourniquet on the bridges and tunnels and watching the Southside turn a funky shade of blue. Trust me, I know about this. I just watched 127 Hours at The Naro, and that’s exactly what James Franco’s thumb looked like.

I get it. I don’t want driving to get so expensive no one wants to come here. I don’t think that will happen. The Southside has Virginia Beach and all its confectionary gooeyness, which the tourists love love love. It’s got the gateway to the Outer Banks, the military base, the airport, and loads more people will pay a toll to get to.

Virginia Port Authority spokesman Joe Harris is full of insight. He says “the last thing we want as a port is to have a reputation as being congested.” Um…right. Because no one thinks that already dude.

He also says we’re going to have a “come-to-Jesus moment” in about a decade when our roads literally run out of space–and that’s even if our current transportation projects make it to fruition. The prediction is congestion will more than double.

Guess what wasn’t mentioned here? I’ll give you a hint. It rhymes with brain.

More Roads

In what’s either poor timing on the editor’s part, or just a way to appease all the people hating on trains and hippies and such, Mike Gruss’s column is titled “70 mph on the interstate? Now we’re getting somewhere.” Welp folks, I guess we should enjoy this while it lasts before we fall into the sea under the weight of thousands of cars stuck idle on the highways.

Mike’s happy because he is getting back and forth to Richmond in under two hours, thanks to the increase of I-64’s speed limit from 65 to 70 mph. Riiight. Most of us were already going well above that speed anyway in the 6-10 mile spurts between here and Richmond where there isn’t congestion. I’m glad the official limit was raised, but again, this solves nothing.

And More Roads

The Daily Press is focusing on roads today as well, reporting on an independent, non-partisan study that found the most logical fix for Hampton Roads’ congestion is to build a third crossing (versus add lanes to existing bridge-tunnels, etc). This would be paid for with tolls, though no specificity which crossings would be marked and how that would relate back to Article 1 and the dead-limb, ring-of-fire theories put forth by Southside officials.

Freedom is Just Another Word For…

When a person’s prison sentence is over, one would think said person is now free (as in, not in prison). According to the latest Court of Appeals ruling, however, for sex crimes, a convicted person may continue to be held by the state under “indefinite confinement.” What’s the difference in prison and indefinite confinement, you ask? I wish I could tell you, but the Pilot has left this part out. It does mention the confinement can end as soon as the criminal “is no longer a danger to others.”

To clarify, I’m not thrilled with the prospect of violent rapists getting out of prison after 15 years to go right back into Crazyland and start victimizing again. However, if our justice system says “due process” and “reasonable doubt” and “15 years,” it seems odd to me it can also say “as long as we feel like” and “doesn’t require burden of proof” and “indefinite.”

At Least We Didn’t Kill Rudolf

Richmond’s Holiday parade was last weekend and they killed Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer in front of a bunch of children. Parade fail.

Beware Exploding Phones

In what’s surely not going to be helpful in the Droid vs. iPhone debate, a Texas man was rushed to the hospital with blood gushing from his ear and face after his two-day old Droid phone exploded while he was using it. Jeez. What freaked me out, though, was the realization this is not a one-off occurrence. The article lists several examples of death and third-degree burns due to cell explosions over the last few years. Eek. Perhaps I’ll go back to old fashioned letter writing.

RIP Elizabeth Edwards

We met her as a North Carolina Senator’s wife. She grew to be much more.

Local! Local!

Our music showcase made the Daily Press! Sam McDonald called it “the biggest original music showcase to take place in Hampton Roads in many a year.” Culture is here, friends, and it’s coming out of the shadows one event at a time.