How should authorities handle freeway jumpers?
Q I disagree with your comments defending a potential freeway jumper as occurred at Interstate 280 and Highway 101 in San Jose last week. The CHP has got to come up with a way to deal with these situations without stopping the flow of traffic and irritating so many people. If a person hasn’t jumped in a very short time I don’t think they ever intended to jump or they would have done it immediately.
James Hardman
A I think we should trust the emergency workers and their expertise in how best to handle these difficult situations.
Q Mr. R, the signal at Paseo de Arboles and San Felipe roads in San Jose is malfunctioning. The switch seems stuck, and the light cycles with no cars around. It used to stay green through San Felipe. Can you refer me to someone who can help?
Mark Kujawa
San Jose
A Email the city at traffic.signals@sanjoseca.gov.
Q Whenever I park in the BART garage in Millbrae, I always back in so that I can exit easier. Everyone’s in a hurry to leave after their ( I’m sure) hectic workday. Strategically picking a parking spot is also key. I avoid parking near the end of the row near a curve, or near the garage exit. I wish that parking wasn’t so complicated, but this is better than backing into someone who’s speeding by and having it be your fault.
Dennis Nakamura
San Bruno
A And it is legal to back in when parking at all BART garages.
Q Is there a law that says buses without air conditioning shouldn’t operate? The AC Transit “U” bus had no air conditioner the other day during a 50- minute trip from Stanford to Fremont — with a full bus! How can they operate like this? The outside temperature was 84. Ridiculous.
Melinda Proud
Union City
A I bet it felt like 94 degrees on the bus. There is no law mandating airconditioned buses, but cool relief is coming: The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District recently purchased 210 buses equipped with air conditioning, and in the future all buses the district buys will have air conditioning. Currently, about half of the 586- bus fleet have air conditioning .
All buses run by the Valley Transportation Authority and SamTrans have had air conditioning for years.
Q Every morning for the past month construction trucks have been lining up along Contra Costa Boulevard and North Main Street on the Pleasant Hill/ Walnut Creek border. There must be a dozen trucks, and their size is making it difficult to drive safely in the right- hand lane. What are they are being used for and how long will be doing this?
Justin Iler
A The Broadway Plaza shopping center is expanding in downtown Walnut Creek, and the contractor is now excavating for the below- ground portion of the new parking garage. These trucks are often looking for a place to wait before the start of work at 7 a. m. Excavation should end in mid- May.