Interstate 880 toll laneswill offer discount for carpools
QWhen the toll lanes open on Interstate 880, will I be able to ride free in a carpool? I hope so, but another person says no. — Fred Lee, Oakland
AYour friend is right. A FasTrak flex tag carpool of two will get a 50 percent discount as well as clean-air vehicles with stickers. Carpools of three or more get a free ride.
Be alert next week for express lane work. Southbound I- 880 in Hayward will be completely closed for several nights from A Street, and between Winton Avenue and Highway 92 from Sunday through Thursday, and again on March 24-27.
Hours will generally be from 11:59 p.m. to 4 or 5 a.m.
The two left lanes of northbound I- 880 also will be closed these nights from 11:59 p.m. until 5 a.m. from south of the Highway 92 interchange to north of A Street on March 26-27.
QOn my way to Cirque du Soleil while in the middle lane driving 65-plus mph on High- way 87, I spotted a large shiny object 25 feet in front of me, which looked like part of a fender. I slowed enough to hit it and run over it, causing an immediate leak to my radiator/motor, damage to the front of my car, as well as the side of the car.
When I called 911 to alert the Highway Patrol, I was informed that it was an aluminum ladder, which no longer looked like a ladder. I wonder how many cars were damaged by this.
My daughter, whom I was meeting, had seen this ladder on the ramp from Highway 85 to 87 and was able to avoid it.
She asked what would have happened if I had been driving a self- driving car. With cars on both sides of me, I didn’t see any way to avoid hitting this obstacle, and I didn’t want to slam on my brakes. I know it could have been worse. — Sidney Mygatt, Los Gatos
AA self- driving vehicle should be able to detect a pothole, as well as a ladder. But this is why a driver needs to be ready to assume con- trol. At 65 mph, you don’t have much time to react especially with traffic in adjacent lanes. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) rapidly emits light pulses to provide a 360- degree moving 3D map of the surrounding landscape.
QI’ve missed you the last couple of days. Did they run out of ink and didn’t get your column in? Can we cite them for failure to stop to allow you to get on board? I need my daily Mr. Roadshow fix. — Ed Mullins, Hayward
ARoadshow runs every Wednesday and Friday in the print edition of the East Bay Times, and Sunday through Friday in the Mercury News. However, you can go online to read all six weekly columns.