Let’s decide how much we’d pay to avoid traffic backups

QThe express lane fee on Highway 237 from Fair Oaks Boulevard to Mission Boulevard on Interstate 880 was $10.50 on Monday at about 6 p.m. To what fund is this money applied? Is it a freeway improvement fund or a transportation fee for something else? — Warren Leuning, Milpitas

A Expressway tolls on 237 go to improvements on 237 and 880, plus maintenance updates and CHP enforcement. Tolls on Interstate 680 in Contra Costa County have been as high as $9 at times. But the $10.50 toll on 237 has given me an idea. Let’s take a Roadshow survey: What is the highest toll you’ve seen on any Bay Area express lane? And what are you willing to pay to skirt traffic backups?

Q

I served as a traffic commissioner for over six years and do not believe that Berkeley has the power to change the California Vehicle Code. They can “suggest” that Berkeley police disregard bicycle enforcement and allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as a yield situation when done safely, but other law enforcement agencies are not bound by the Berkeley City Council. They may still write citations for violations within Berkeley.

— Craig Foster, San Jose

A This is not a done deal. The Berkeley City Council voted to explore potential changes to local bicycle traffic laws, most notably moving the city toward an “Idaho Stop” policy, meaning that bicyclists approaching an empty intersection could treat stop signs as yields and only come to complete stops at red lights. State law bans the practice, so while Berkeley can’t change state law, the city can decide how much to enforce it.

A 2010 study from UC Berkeley found that the “Idaho Stop” actually increased bicyclist safety significantly by limiting the time they spent in intersections. A statewide “Idaho Stop” law was proposed in California in 2017 but failed to pass.

Q

I recently drove throughout Italy and couldn’t find a single road boulder on the highways.

Drivers keep to the right, using the left lane only for passing. If a driver is in the left lane and someone comes up behind them, they automatically move to the right and allow the faster car to pass. As a result, traffic flows well, and there’s no road rage. If you don’t move over, you risk having Ferrari tire tracks on your roof.

— Donna Maurillo, Scotts Valley

A

But …

Q

Now, let’s talk about driving in Rome. There are few lane markers, so it’s a free-for-all. Drivers will dive-bomb from the right and the left. The right- of-way belongs to whoever is most aggressive. And drivers may stop suddenly, put on their flashers, and leave their car idling in the driving lane while they run into a store. — Donna Maurillo

A Dive bombers — Rome feels like home.