Can this be true? Los Gatos traffic may be getting better
QThere’s been a real pleasant change in Los Gatos traffic since they closed the Santa Cruz ramp to south Highway 17 on weekends. The downtown area is actually accessible now. — Eddie Poe, Los Gatos
A What? It’s beach season, and the town traffic is improving? Q The closure of the Santa Cruz Avenue south entrance to 17 seems to have helped substantially, and I am revisiting my “avoid Los Gatos on Saturday/Sunday” mantra. — Tom Tisch, Saratoga
A Well, I’ll be danged. After a couple of years of constant complaints about Waze screwing up traffic on city streets, some drivers insist traffic is better. Let’s check back after Labor Day.
Q Weekend southbound traffic from Silicon Valley to Santa Cruz along Highway 17 seems lighter this year, except for the usual choke points where 17 meets Highway 85 and Highway 1. And even these ease before 11 a.m. and after 2 p.m. However, the northbound lanes are stop and crawl from 3 to 11 p.m. along most of the route. How does a three-hour southbound jam turn into an eight-hour northbound nightmare? — Bob Messing, Mountain View
A Afternoon and evening traffic is almost always worse than earlier in the day. That’s just the nature of the beast.
Q What’s up with the closure of the Great Highway in San Francisco? The southbound side is blockaded and traffic on the northbound side crawls at a virtual standstill. While this may be a great thing for the people of San Francisco, it is not so great for people driving up from the Peninsula who may want to visit the zoo, Ocean Beach, the Cliff House or Land’s End. Can you enlighten us hapless non-San-Franciscans? — Jennifer Brooks, Los Altos
A Drifting sand, gale-like winds and a popular running spot for weekend races, such as the upcoming Barbary Coast Roller Marathon on Monday, July 10. Go to www.sfmta.com/news/weekend-advisory to plan ahead.
Q I read with interest the letter regarding contractors replacing sewer lines on Coleman Road in San Jose, particularly regarding the care they take to clean up the job site every day.
Can you pass along that comment to San Francisco and the contractor responsible for work on Masonic Avenue between the Panhandle and Geary Street?
I commute to the Presidio, and recently they revised the work timetable to extend into 2018. I’ve been on dirt roads in the Sierra thatw aren’t as rough as this stretch. No exaggeration, truly. Help! — Dave Hoffman, Palo Alto
A Message delivered. By the way, the nearly $30 million job to improve one of the city’s most dangerous streets is behind schedule, so be patient.