Highway 4 carpool lane crackdown nabbed dozens

QI don’t know why you keep wasting time and valuable space on the crybaby whiners in regard to carpool violations. It is neither new nor newsworthy. I’m not a commuter but I don’t see the big deal. If somebody wants to risk getting a $490 ticket, that’s their gamble. I’d rather have the cops take care of more important matters such as speeders, drunk drivers, accidents, road debris, etc., than wasting time on carpool cheaters. It gets old reading about the whining. — Darren Pham, San Jose

AYou cannot take the whining out of Roadshow, especially when cheaters can account for 40 percent of cars in the carpool lane, clogging up those lanes. Last week the California Highway Patrol swamped freeways in Contra Costa County, especially Highway 4, nabbing dozens. And in San Jose, the CHP pulled over a guy on Interstate 680 with a dummy in his passenger seat.

QI’m not gonna lie. I pull into the carpool lane for a bit if I’m running late. — Ashraf Chowdhury

AYou and thousands more.

QI’ve been complaining for years about the traffic mess at Oakland Airport. Why don’t they have a pedestrian overcrossing from the terminals to the parking area like many other airports? Last week a pedestrian was hit by a car and injured at the airport. — Frances Willson, Lafayette

AAirport officials say a pedestrian bridge would not have prevented this from occurring, as the driver entered an area designated for people to sit, stand and walk. Given the configuration of the terminal, adjacent roadway, multiple curbs and parking facilities, it would be difficult to build elevated bridges to access each of its four curbsides as well as the parking lot and BART station. These bridges would have to include escalators, stairs and elevators at each curb and on either end. The space needed to accommodate these required components of a pedestrian bridge doesn’t fit into the layout.

QI read an article last week about a morning pileup in the Caldecott Tunnel caused by a driver stopping because of a flat tire. Made me think, what would I do? If your car stops because of a malfunction, you have no choice but to stay put. But with a flat, I guess you could continue to drive on through, probably doing great damage to the car, but hopefully avoiding a collision.

What is the appropriate procedure in such an instance? — Jeanine White, Concord

AYou can drive on a flat tire. Here I would do so because the tunnel is not a safe place for a car to wait for help.