80 — MANCHESTER HERALD. Monday, April 25, 1983 U.S. love affair with cars Why mass transit isn’t Colts pick Elway, lit Image Consultant: Garage, fair Pats name Eason Watch your toes! get ZBA OKs the wave of the future .. page 15 '..I I ...page 11 page 3 By Lori Santos Car pool lanes, born in the are fined $30. United Press International 'gasoline shortage of the mid-1970s, Some motorists try to count their were designed to encourage gas dogs as passeqgers to meet the WASHINGTON - For the love of conservation in return for a ride in carpool quota.' their cars and their independence, the fast lane into major cities. The “ You’d be surprised at how often 90 million Americans' have sent- lanes can cut commute time in that happens,” he said. “ One ' enced themselves to hours of daily half. woman called asking us to find a stop-and-go traffic on their way to carpool for one of her guide dogs. and from work. THE NATION’S largest cities The dog needed to get from Cloudy tonight; Manchester, Conn. The U.S. Census Bureau a i accounted for 81 percent of com­ soitiewhere in the East Bay to a only 6 million of the nation's 96 muters in the country in 1980. New stud service in Marin County, and sunny Wednesday Tuesday, April 26, 1983 million commuters rode public York alone accounted for about 28 he needed to commute every day. ,. — See naae 2 Single copy: 25C transportation in 1980. percent; Chicago was a distant We had to tell her we couldn’t Suburbanites who fled the na­ second at 9 percent. help,” he said. tion’s cities to escape crime, taxes Vanacore says most commuters ANOTHER IRR ITAN T for com­ and steep housing costs, refuse to into New York are white collar and muters is the ’’Gapers’ Block.” get to work any other Way than by ’’more are likely to drive into the Motorists slow down to gape when car. Nearly two-thirds drive alone. city and shun mass there has been an accident or other “ There’s no way it’s going to transportation.” distraction along an expressway. Herald photo by Torqulnlo become fashionable to ride the bus. The Port Authority tried offering Earlier this year in-bound traff^c_ It’s absolutely a culture problem,’’ discounts on tolls to carpools. The was backed up five miles on one The champs Rivers says Terry Patillo, director of the standard round trip is $1.50, but Chicago freeway as drivers slowed Central Oklahoma Transportation motorists with at least two pas­ to watch workmen make artifical and Parking Authority. sengers pay only 50 cents. snow for a carnival. Two Manchester Cub Scouts and one Manchester Pack 47; Matt Simmons, 9, Salvador Other urban planners and high­ "A certain part of what we do “ Once we had a girl in hot pants from Pack 157 of Bolton were top of Bolton; and Jed Stansfield, 10, of reach way officials agree that the com­ puts us in a Catch-22 position,” changing a tire on the Kennedy and Manchester Pack 251. All three were muter congestion problem won’t Vanacore said. When the authority there was a huge backup,” Lee winners in the Pinewood Derby con­ be solved until they can get people added another toll lane last year at said. ducted recently In Glastonbury. They first place winners in competition with out of their cars. So far, they the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, Accidents are a natural result of are, from left, Mike Beganny, 8, of Cub Scouts from all around this area. crests haven’t figured out how to do it. ’’more people noticed the improve­ so many cars in one place at one Reagan to ment and decided to bring their time. By United Press International COMMUTERS have come up cars. Pretty soon the lines were Charles McLean, chief opera­ with a few of their own ideas — back to where they were.” tions engineer of the Illinois The swollen Farmington River some legal, some not — to make Probably the most frustrating Department of Transportation crested at Simsbury early today the daily commute a little less experience for the seasoned com­ District One, said 26 percent of all less than one foot above flood stage painful. They try to enter express muter is big-city gridlock, a accidents on Chicago expressways while the other major state rivers lanes into Washington by filling phenomenon caus^ when motor­ and toll roads in 1981 occurred began to recede at most locations pick envoy their cars, with clothed manne­ ists enter an intersection on a during the evening rush. •H.. in Connecticut. quins. Chicago commuters without green light without a chance of “ The pressure of being con­ The Farmington River crested By Helen Thomas Reagan planned to’ meet with a chance of making it through a making it through. Traffic be­ tained all day could have some­ at 12.6 feet, the National Weather United Press International selected members of the House green light go on anyway and comes immovable for blocks, with thing to do with it,” McLean said. Service's river forecast center in Intelligence Corhmittee today to cause the classictrafficnightmare horns blowing and tempers ' “ Some say rush hour is therapeu­ Bloomfield said, aiid was begin­ WASHINGTON - President discuss the overall situation in \ — gridlock. erupting. tic. The theory goes it’s the only ning to fall very slowly. “ Theworst Reagan, hoping to win congres­ Joseph Vanacore, a director of Chicago, with 125 miles of Central America. Spokesman time you’re away from your boss is over,” a weather service spokes­ sional support for his policies in the Port Authority of New York expressways and limited access Larry Speakes said the meeting and your wife.” • man said. Central America, is expected to and New Jersey, sees no end in toll roads, boasts one of the would be “ a listening session for Gary Jiudice, a spokesman for Flood stage at Simsbury is 12 name a special envoy to help sight. country’s worst commutes. Gary the president” who has yet to put the Oklahoma Department of feet. arrange elections in El Salavdor, his speech into final form. "What is the pain threshold of Lee, a Chicago area radio traffic Transportation, says it is not The Connecticut River crested at administration officials said somebody commuting in their own reporter, says the four-day Chi­ Long re'turned Monday from a unusual for people in Oklahoma to one to two feet over its flood stage today. personal car? It’s anybody’s guess cago Transit Authority Strike in two-day visit to El Salvador, commute 80 miles or more one late Monday, while the waters of The officials said the commit­ before they decide how long they December 1979 created the worst advocating negotiations headed by way. “ This whole part of the the Housatonic River were already ment is contained in a draft letter have to be delayed before they gridlock ever seen in the city. a “ super-ambassador yho will country is a lot more independent beginning to go down by the end of from Secretary of State George move out of their car and move into Lee said the problem has a lot to Herald photo by Pinto bring the left into the electoral than, say. New York or the day Monday. Shultz to Rep. Clarence Long, mass transportation,’ ’ he said. do with the large number of process,” someone “ of the stature , Connecticut.” The weather service said the D-Md., chairman of the House Hal Kassof, director of Mary­ commuters in the city. “ Virtually SANDBAGS BLOCK GRISSOM-HAMILTON INTERSECTION of Sol Linowitz or Philip Habib.” Heinz Heckeroth, of the Califor­ state received up to three inches of subcommittee considering Rea­ land’s highway planning office, every expressway in Chicago but . town, developer disagree about responsibility Linowitz is a veteran diplomat nia Transportation Department, rain Sunday and early Monday, gan’s request for additional mil­ said, “ It takes a lot of disincentive one exceeded its pianned volume and former ambassador to the calls the Los Angeles commuting causing all of Connecticut’s major itary aid to El Salvador. to drive people out of their the day it opened,” he said. At the Organization of American States. situation ’’good.’’ rivers to reach or exceed flood Long has called on Reagan to automobiles.” peak of the morning rush about'2.5 Habib is the chief U.S. Middle East He said the city has 380 miles of stages. become more personally involved Census Bureau statistics agree, million commuters are in transit; envoy. congestion daily during a rush The Army Corps of Engineers in Town, developer at odds in resolving the political turmoil in showing declines in the use of in the afternoon, 4.5 million are Waltham, Mass., said it closed its hour, with cars moving at less than El Salvador before agreeing to ” I want something which, once public transportation everywhere moving. 35 flood control dams Sunday, the 50 mph for at least 15 minutes. commit additional military assist­ launched, would be something except in the West. fifth time in the last six weeks, Motorists rack up 180 million ance to the U.S.-backed regime in irreversible, ” Long said. “ That is Philip Fulton, head of the Census NEW YORK officiaU call grid­ because of heavy to moderate vehicle miles per day in the its fight against leftist insurgents. the importance of naming some Bureau’s commuting statistics lock a major problem — to the three-county area of Los Angeles, rains in New England last over clogged storm drain Word of the decision came as program, said a 1980 survey found extent that the city now has weekend.