Street Beat for Sept. 27

Q:I am having a discussion with a friend who says there is no law about driving in the left lane of a two-lane highway. I thought it was illegal unless you were passing another car. Is there a law regarding this? Thanks. -- June D.

Answer: Yes, indeed there is a law. The left lane should be thought of as the passing lane. If you're not passing and you're not preparing to turn left, the law says you have to move to the right.

Here is the section of the law: "Any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic . . . shall be driven in the lane nearest the right edge or right curb of the highway." The exception is when passing, preparing to turn left or "where right lanes are reserved for slow-moving traffic."

The law applies even when the drivers behind you are going faster than the speed limit. You still have to move right and let them pass. I often get flak when I note this, because some readers think that I'm encouraging speeders. I'm not; I'm just noting the law. So just move right and let the speeders collect the tickets.

While I'm at it, there is also a law requiring drivers to turn on their headlights if they also have turned on their windshield wipers. There have been some downpours in the area recently, and most of the drivers I saw had their headlights on. But there were still a few that did not.

The issue is one of visibility. The headlights aren't just to help you see better -- they also help other drivers see you. A gray or dark-colored car might be very difficult to see in the middle of a monsoon.

. . .

Answer: Many readers have had similar questions about John Rolfe Parkway. I asked Michael A. Jennings, a traffic engineer with the Department of Public Works.

He said that John Rolfe Parkway is a minor arterial road maintained by Henrico County, and it is not designed to tie into the federal interstate system with I-295.

The North Gayton Road project from West Broad Street to Pouncey Tract Road is to help alleviate traffic congestion in the northwest quadrant of Henrico County, he said. "This is the traffic in the area of West Broad Street, Pouncey Tract Road, Pump Road, Twin Hickory Road, Twin Hickory Lake Road, Shady Grove Road and Nuckols Road."

. . .

Answer: There should be enough room, provided that the truck doesn't have one of those pizza-delivery signs stuck on top.

"The clearance for the section of the new flyover bridge in question is 14 feet, 8 inches," said Dawn Eischen of the Virginia Department of Transportation. "Standard tractor trailers are up to 13 feet, 6 inches tall. As long as the truck is the standard height, it should pass under the bridge in the emergency lane with about a foot of clearance."

However, drivers who plan to haul a load that exceeds the standard height will need to obtain an oversize/overweight permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

For more information about hauling permits, visit http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/citizen/hauling.asp. Contact Melanie Stokes with DMV public affairs at (804) 367-6623 if you have any questions about hauling permits.

Do you have a question for Street Beat? Contact Patrick Owens at or (804) 649-6802. Follow him at http://twitter.com/RTDStreetBeat