The Mercury News

They sealed road cracks, but now you can’t see lanes

- Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www. mercurynew­s.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanew­sgroup.com.

QJeers to the Lawrence Expressway pavement crack sealing. The random sealant patterns blend with the faded white lane striping, so now you cannot see the lane markings on sunny days when driving south in the late afternoons on Lawrence from Homestead Road to Moorpark/Bollinger.

I have taken to driving in the far-right lane where the solid shoulder marker provides a hint, plus it limits my exposure to drivers on the left. Mike Angles San Jose

AThe expressway (Homestead to Moorpark/Bollinger) was restriped before Christmas and more work is planned in early March. Some pavement markers will be replaced and the road will get a microsurfa­cing from Homestead Road to Quito Road this summer. New traffic lines and pavement markers will be reinstalle­d after the microsurfa­cing is completed.

QGary, can you check this out? The San Francisco Municipal Transporta­tion Agency manages traffic during commutes at 2 Bush Street. They signal drivers to proceed into the crosswalk, then halt them. Next thing they do is ticket the driver.

I saw several recently, and I was one of them. I protested the ticket with pictures and got a reply that said the citation for parking in a crosswalk was appropriat­ely issued and valid.

So what do I do? Should I have ignored the traffic officer? Mike Houston San Francisco

AFile another appeal. Parking control officers are trained to keep intersecti­ons cleared and gridlock citations are issued when a driver fails to yield to their instructio­ns. But a city spokesman says if an officer tells you to enter the intersecti­on and the vehicle gets caught in gridlock, no citation should be issued. Good luck.

QGary, you asked which cars ads are favorites. Have to say the one with the golden retriever driving its sleeping puppy in the back “car seat” late at night. The puppy wakes up yipping as they pull into the driveway and off they go back into the street to get it to sleep again. Gail Gitt

AOne of my favorites, too. Every parent — human or canine — knows this trick with a young one onboard.

QWhen traveling south on Highway 35 on the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz county border, there used to be a sign at the intersecti­on of Route 9. It has been missing now for some time, and can cause confusion for new drivers on the way to Boulder Creek. Can you shed light on this important omission at the intersecti­on of two state highways?

Dale Horelick

AThe replacemen­t sign should be in place by March. It can take Caltrans six months to order and replace signs of this type.

QOther important items to keep in your car in stormy weather include a heat-reflective space blanket, protein bars and walking shoes. The shoes may seem silly until stuck somewhere in spike heels.

Fawn Talbott Loomis

ASpike heels and six inches of mud or snow are not a good combo.

 ??  ?? GARY RICHARDS
GARY RICHARDS

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