Reader: Who is responsible for Rhode Island Road?
By the Lane Ranger
Published: February 25, 2008
Updated: April 1, 2008
Dear Lane Ranger: You have helped me in the past with the final paving of Rhode Island Road from Packard Drive down to Rosewood Drive. The final pave has been done but the “end of state maintained” sign is still there at Right Court. Published: February 25, 2008
Updated: April 1, 2008
Should that still be there? Or since the final pave is done, should this now be the state’s responsibility?
Why I ask is because when the sand truck was in the area last Tuesday for the ice storm, you can see the trail of sand where the truck made a U-turn right after the sign. But the section of Rhode Island Road was not sanded between Right Court and Packard. Just need to know so we can alter our route home in bad conditions. Thanks very much for checking up on this for us.
Mary Jane
Dear Mary Jane: VDOT tells me that it only maintains Rhode Island Drive from Rockinghorse Drive to three-hundredths of a mile west of Rosewood Drive. This places maintenance approximately up to Right Court.
Also, it hasn’t received a request from Prince William County to accept the portion of Rhode Island Drive that is in question.
Dear Lane Ranger: What is up with the median on Sudley Manor Drive at Prince William Parkway? (Coming from Sudley Road/Ashton Avenue.) There used to be some sort of grass growing there, then it was all mowed down.
Now it looks like a war zone, littered with trash and broken glass and cigarette butts. Across the way at the parkway, it looks like something has been done — maybe planted and straw mulch applied. In the meantime, Sudley Manor is a depressing site, especially if you are in the left turn lane on Sudley Manor Drive.
Family Cyr
Dear Family Cyr: Here is your answer from Prince William County spokesperson Tom Blaser.
“The area in question is the location where the trash truck flipped over in the median back in December. While the vast majority of the trash was picked up, there are still small bits and pieces in the median.
“The county had agreed to re-seed this disturbed area and in fact did so several weeks ago. However, I just went out and looked and it appears that my seeder missed the area closest to [Va.] 234, and the area that was seeded is not growing.
“I will have our seeder come back and re-seed this area again. As to the cigarette butts, this intersection is like any other signalized intersection in that it becomes a convenient place for people to toss their butts out the window.”
PRTC Introduces IVR System
The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission has a new interactive phone system that allows OmniLink local bus passengers to access their individualized trip information at any time of the day or night.
The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) phone system enables customers to quickly confirm or cancel a previously scheduled off-route trip without waiting to speak with a customer service agent.
PRTC provides commuter and local bus services in Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. PRTC’s OmniLink local buses can travel up to three-quarters of a mile off the standard route to pick up and drop off passengers who are unable to access a regular bus stop.
Before IVR, passengers called customer service at least two hours in advance to book off-route trips. Passengers had to speak with a customer service agent to confirm or cancel an off-route trip, and if the call was placed after business hours, customers had to leave a message for PRTC staff.
However, the new IVR phone system enables customers to call PRTC 24 hours a day, seven days a week to confirm or cancel their off-route trip with no waiting.
To use the IVR, passengers simply get their individual numeral code from a customer service agent. Then, the next time they call customer service, they follow the menu prompts and enter their code number to confirm or cancel their trip. Customers still must notify PRTC of a cancelled trip at least 2 hours in advance.
The IVR saves passengers from waiting on hold to speak with someone, and enables customer service agents to devote more time to callers who need individualized attention.
The new phone system also has the ability to call customers to remind them of upcoming scheduled trips, and in the future will allow passengers to book their own off-route trips.
Brochures explaining how the IVR works are available on OmniLink buses, at the PRTC Transit Center and online at PRTCtransit.org. For more information, call PRTC at 703-730-6664.
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