Deer fence on I-280 must wait: No funds available
Q We all know about a dark side to Interstate 280: deer crossings in the fall, especially in the stretch between Highway 92 and Highway 84. I read about a Caltrans project to install a deer fence a while ago, but I have not seen any activity since. I realize that there are many competing projects, but putting up this fence will prevent injuries and deaths of both humans and deer. And, of course, it will prevent damage to vehicles due to collisions. I would think that this would be a relatively small-budget project for Caltrans. Balan Srinivasan Los Altos
A The project is on hold. Caltrans says it needs $4 million to install a fence for 22 miles from Millbrae to Woodside to keep deer off the freeway, but those funds haven’t been allocated yet. There are up to 50 deerauto collisions a year on 280 in San Mateo County. I’m with you, Balan, $4 million is not a lot of money if a fence can be effective.
Q Are there any updates on the status of Dixon Landing Road? The last update was that it would open back up by September. It doesn’t look anywhere close to that. … Was that September 2016?
Dave Piecyk, Donald McCollum and others
A No. Dixon Landing, where the future BART line will cross in Milpitas, should reopen around Christmas.
Q I hope you can enlighten me on this little issue. On Sunnyvale’s Mathilda Avenue, there are two left-turn lanes going into El Camino Real’s three lanes. Must the car in the outside turn lane continue into El Camino’s center lane, then signal to move into the farright lane? Or can that car turn and move directly into the far lane without landing first in the center lane?
Chris Meredith Sunnyvale
A Here you go. During left turns like the one here, the vehicle in the No. 1 left-turn lane (closest to the center divide) must finish its turn in the No. 1 or far-left lane of El Camino. For safety reasons, the vehicle in the No. 2 left-turn lane should finish its turn in the No. 2 lane of El Camino. However, there is no law prohibiting that vehicle from finishing the turn in the No. 3 or far-right lane. While changing lanes in an intersection is not recommended, it is not against the law.
Q You say that the signs and pylons in the middle of Highway 17 at The Cats have cut the number of idiots traversing the highway to turn left out of the restaurant. WRONG! I’ve been driving that road for 40-plus years and I still see far too many nut-jobs using that gap to make lefts and, every few weeks, a brain-dead U-turn to head back toward San Jose. There is no logical rationale for the lack of a concrete barrier to put an end to these life-threatening moves.
Then add in those barreling down the hill while texting. Oh yeah, and those coming out of The Cats after last call. The only ones this opening serves are those coming down the hill — and all it does is save them the ever-so-slight inconvenience of driving another 100 yards into Los Gatos. The craziness needs to stop.
Marty Feldman Los Gatos
A Anyone making those illegal left turns out of The Cats parking lot onto north 17 is crazy.