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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 1979)
Page 6 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 29. 1979 Ithestatel*’’* Contraflow travel may ease freeway crunch \n c United Press International HOUSTON — For $5 a day, be ginning Tuesday, traffic-weary commuters can bypass morning and evening rush hours on Interstate 45 by leaving their cars in the suburbs and riding multipassenger vehicles to and from downtown on a new, speedy Contraflow Lane. The 9.6-mile Contraflow Lane route, longer than the San Francisco or New York routes begun in the early 1970s, will be the exclusive domain of Metro Transit Authority buses, suburban buses, airport coaches and certified vanpools able to carry 12 passengers. Autos are forbidden from slipping inside the designated against-the- flow lanes and MTA Director Barry M. Goodman said the system could reduce the number of cars on the North Freeway by 2,000 daily while providing transportation for 2,500 persons initially. The cost for bus riders will be $5 a day, roundtrip, or $60 per month for a pass providing unlimited use of the MTA system. There is no charge for van poolers. Because of the dangers posed by narrowly separated lanes of oncom ing traflic moving at freeway speeds. the MTA tested the $1.8 million sys tem for weeks and required drivers to enroll in safety courses before scheduling the opening of the lane. Specifically, the Contraflow lane is an added inside express lane from the outbound side of the freeway during the morning rush hour and the opposite, inside inbound lane during the afternoon rush hour. Dur ing normal rush hours, 70 percent of the traffic moves in the same direc tion. The borrowed lane comes from the side of the freeway carrying 30 percent of the traffic. “It’s the first (MTA) public trans portation project that will provide a time savings to those that will use it,” Goodman said. “Because Contraflow allows the buses and vanpools to bypass the congestion in the peak hour flow and be lecause we re so auto-oriented, we feel the only way to attract large numbers of people to public transportation is to make it a time-saving venture as well as having the other attributes of being less costly and more comfortable. “Additionally Contraflow is a rela tively low cost improvement. If suc cessful, it could pave the way for con struction of exclusive, totally sepa rated busways on our major cor- IN 303 COLLEGE STATION COLLEGE AVE. SKAGGS” ‘NEXT STORE HOURS MONDAY THRU FRIDAY FINE JEWELRY & GIFTWARE 10 AJM.-9 P JR. SATURDAY lOAJL O PJI. ! NO LAYAWAYS MERCHANDISE ONLY SAVE!! 6 PIECE STEAK KNIFE SET Sug. 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No. 818 Hl-lnten*lty Desk Lamp Retail*.95 NOW No. 815 Hl-lntenslty Desk Lamp Retell9.9S M gg NOW THOUSANDS OF ITEMS REDUCED ridors Aside from construction tfe (funds were requested by tbecih 1975 before voters approved .:^ tion of the MTA last year) and sar the biggest problem was findiDii. buses to handle the increased tne traffic. The MTA, plagued mechanical failures that regular keep 25 percent of the systems^. cles awaiting repairs, simply die j. assistant I DALI fast-food pensive reduce t “Peop room at minutes -It’s h juniver: have the vehicles to lendtotbeC trallow program. ‘‘That’s true,” Goodman uk “But, the Contraflow projectt5»‘. you kno' as other extended outlying stny* are going to be provided by pm* transportation carriers under®, tract with MTA so that MTA ns. power, equipment and facilities*-, not be required to serve Contrati and the other outlying services “The use of private enterpn. (leased buses) enables us to eipas our service under contract miic sooner than if we had to waitforo: own resources to develop to th point,” he said. Beware of mail-orde cigarettes tobacs ■:.7 - u ::iers United Press International AUSTIN —- Comptroller Bob lock said Tuesday Texans faceiM! than a health hazard if they on cigarettes by mail and state taxes;! not paid on the cigarettes. Bullock said advertisementsin state recently have offered order cigarettes and other products on which state taxes not been paid. Purchasers are required to pay office $ 1.85 a carton for taxes on cii rettes they order from out of state and may be liable for a $185 carton penalty if the tax is not ported immediately, Bullock said The advertised price of the tip rettes, plus penalty and interest works out to about 85 cents apacld 1 the mail order cigarettes, he sale Federal law requires that out state firms provide the comptrol office with a list of Texas resid who purchase cigarettes outsidetSe la; state. “Consumers who buy mail cigarettes have to pay the tax we have to go out and chase down to get it, they’ll have to pay penalty,” Bullock said. State law makes it a felony top* sess more than 10,000 untaxed as m! rettes — 50 cartons. Us ullll ijj, bents, ith with remor, h to-face oblem of s, v millio Clement mila G ,y we orough ht ivemor. ikes T; 'ately fo agreec imittees sside: ”" ie :ion o previ Tapia Fl meed his ittees eitswoul (on tl onia mri tk oblem. 1 had t dentand Davis expectet to take stand in murder tria the iarr United Press International FORT WORTH — Two weebd tedious background testim- ended Tuesday in the murder itation trial of millionaire T. 0 Davis and prosecutors said were prepared to put their star ness on the stand next. David McCrory, a friend and ployee of Davis who turned hi; when he allegedly began demandri the deaths of friends and assocb?- was scheduled to testify Wednesd? Along with McCrory’s testimof prosecutors were expected to tape recordings and show fill Davis and McCrory meeting in staurant parking lot. During meeting Davis allegedly paid for i faked death of District Judge} Eidson. Davis is charged with demandra that McCrory hire a profir»sk' :jl killer to do away with Eidson. presided over Davis’ divor-' McCrory claims that when Dr'- began talking about the murderp* he contacted authorities. Eidson’s death was faked by FBI but he was never harmed Since testimony in the trial two weeks ago Eidson and three agents have testified. Both pf^ cutors and defense attorneys h** tediously poured over detail 1 * meetings and the kind of equip®'* planted on McCrory. Eidson testified about the nr®* he made in the Davis divorce,*^ the state contends were unfavor# to the industrialist — thus givirtk* a reason for wanting Eidson rk* The FBI agents, Ron Jann£* Jerry Hubble and Joseph Grr tified about how they met McCrory and secretly wired & with recorders for his meetings Davis. Battalion Classifieds Call 845-2611 The di Houston sites are The cl tborougl physknai Dr. D there is “It’s g way we We’re pi thing wr money. Stinne one-half Unite SALTILI imentei EI have 1 governs Bit as a p #ple. ‘He's pei over (to d, and ’ i»age ar nices. Bmente that the < he done;