To the editor:

I am writing in response to the article in the June 16 edition of the Suffolk News-Herald about road funding.

The articled emphasized that during the past three years Virginia has made “major improvements” upon how it selects and funds transportation projects. One criterion that is used “allocates money based on return on investment.”

So what will be the “return on investment” for a park-and-ride lot on Godwin Boulevard? I regularly travel past the Magnolia park-and-ride lot on Portsmouth Boulevard. It is beautifully landscaped, paved, and brightly lit. The greatest number of cars I have ever seen in the lot, however, is three!

While the Magnolia lot was under construction, commuters used the parking lot at the nearby Food Lion without inconveniencing anyone. The same would be true on Godwin Boulevard. There are many parking lots on that stretch of road that are never full and could easily accommodate three cars.

There is little evidence that another park-and-ride lot would reduce congestion caused by commuters from Suffolk, and the construction of yet another lot will do more damage to the region’s air quality than will be improved by parking three cars there at one time.

With so many transportation needs in Suffolk, building yet another park-and-ride lot seems like a waste of a million dollars.

LaDonna Pryor

Suffolk