Steve Eldridge, The Examiner
2007-08-24 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Things are moving forward on the Express Toll Lane project on I-95. For those living under a rock, this is a project between I-895 and Route 43 that is widening the highway for those 10 or so miles. Four lanes in each direction will be “general purpose” and two will be designated as ETL. This is not a high occupancy toll (HOT) lane project that would allow those in carpools to pay reduced or no tolls however.

The first milestone has been achieved, and that is the completion of the bridge that carries Joppa Road over I-95. That bridge, as well as the one that carries Rossville Boulevard over the interstate, had to be lengthened in order to accommodate the added lanes. All of the interchanges in that stretch are being reconfigured as well and the lanes aren't even scheduled to open until 2011.

I know there are those who say that this is just a way for rich people to get an easier commute, but I think we'll find that it benefits everyone. After all, if those BMWs, Mercedes Benz’s and Lexus’s (or is it Lexi?) aren’t in the regular lanes because the drivers have paid to use the ETLs, doesn’t that result in fewer cars in the regular lanes? The Maryland Transportation Authority says that these lanes are being paid for entirely with toll revenue and not with taxes.

My only “complaint” is that officials aren’t giving more consideration to allowing carpoolers and buses to use the lanes as a way to reduce the total number of cars on the road. It seems to me that the HOT lane concept has added benefits in that it might actually help cut back on the amount of emissions dumped into the atmosphere.

CLASSICAL MUSIC MAY BE A GOOD DETERRENT AFTER ALL

In response to the piece about the use of music to discourage gangs and drug dealers from congregating near transit centers in Washington state Ashley writes to say: “The ‘Classical music as repellent’ theory has been tried before, but with an interesting side effect. When I lived in Philly, I heard of a woman who lived on a corner of a particularly rough part of Germantown, where a group of very rowdy, very bored teens would disturb the peace day and night. She mounted speakers to the front of her house and blasted opera to get back at them. It worked, and interestingly enough, some of the kids began making requests for pieces they liked the best! Perhaps the music does more than just repel. This taxpayer would certainly pay for that kind of solution!”

That’s interesting. I wonder what type of opera the teens ended up preferring. I must admit that while I enjoy a lot of classical music I have still not developed an appreciation for opera. I think I would end up leaving that street corner rather quickly.