What is the fine for crossing double white lines on I-880?

Q

I see a lot of people driving across the double white lines on the Interstate 880 toll lanes. What is the fine if caught for doing so?

— Heath Broccoli,

Oakland

A

The fine is $300 but could be more if a driver is ticketed for another reason.

Q

Also, I don’t think you can call toll lanes anything but a money grab. We went from two-person carpools with no toll during commute hours to three-person carpools with a halfprice fee during carpool hours. We also went from lane restrictions only during lane commute restrictions hours that to extend well beyond commute hours. Do any readers have something positive to say about the 880 toll lanes? — Heath Broccoli

A

A lot of folks are upset, but that feeling may ease as express lanes spread throughout the state, congestion levels rise and drivers see toll lanes as a way to beat traffic.

Q

I’d like to join this discussion about charging hybrids and electric vehicles for miles traveled. We already have smog stations set up to check vehicles. So why do we need another system? Just have the hybrids and electrics go to a smog station yearly or every two years. They can scan the vehicle ID, read the odometer, and send the data to the DMV, which would then send out a bill for miles driven. Simple, right?

— Bill Bartz, San Jose

A

Sounds simple to me, as well. Other possible methods are checking miles driven at charging stations for motorists with electric vehicles and using GPS location information to track mileage.

Q

When ticket in one Europe, gets a which has happened to me in Switzerland (there is not much grace over the speed limit there, and there are lots of cameras), one eventually gets a ticket in the mail in the U.S. There are consequences if you do not pay, mostly that the rental agency will have it on record and you may not be able to rent a car until it’s paid. It won’t be a long time before higher fees will accumulate.

— Kristin Carlson,

Morgan Hill

A

It can increase by several hundred dollars. And you can get nailed for driving just a few miles over the speed limit, like 3 mph, others report.

Q

As a former Navy helicopter pilot, your comments about the cost of operating helicopters are spot on. They are very expensive to fly. Another thing that has impacted the demand for helicopters is the proliferation of drones. They can be used for almost anything.

— Jim Thurber, Mountain View

A

Including monitoring traffic, which reduces the need for helicopters to do so.