DMV will make Real ID forms available online

Q

I went to the Los Gatos DMV to get my Real ID. I had an appointment and all the required documents except the application form. Can the DMV put this form online so people can fill it out before they get there?

— Barb Williams, Los Gatos

A

Good idea and the DMV is on it. In a few months, you’ll be able to do this online so you can fill it out before going to into a DMV office. But for now, there’s another option. Use the electronic driver license/identification card application at the touch screen terminals, which are at all DMV offices in 10 languages. I’m told it’s easy to use.

Q

My experience in obtaining a Real ID was very different from the many readers who wrote about the hours it took at the DMV. I had an appointment at the Alma Avenue office in San Jose at 10 a.m. and breezed in and out in less than an hour. Did I really luck out?

— Shiva Sitaraman, San Jose

A

You most certainly did.

Q

Did I read it right that they are going to spend $12 million and tick off 61,000 drivers while a tunnel project is under construction to save four animals a year on Highway 17? That money should be spent on road improvements. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

— Ben McRay, San Jose

A

Expensive, but hopefully not dumb. There have been 55 deer and five mountain lions killed in 15 years on Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County, costing on average $6,600 per collision. About half those were at Laurel Curve where the underground crossing will be built. More animals were killed in Santa Clara County, where an underground crossing is planned at Lexington Reservoir.

Forget the dollar amount. This can save the lives of drivers on the highway where overall crashes are on a worrisome rise.

In order to keep four lanes open during construction, Caltrans will install a temporary third lane and shift traffic over. Work could begin in two years.

Q

I’ve passed through the same intersection at least twice a day for the last 20 years, at El Camino Real and Sneath Lane in San Bruno. During the course of the day, the pattern of the signals changes. Why?

— Barry Grossman, Santa Clara

AThe lights are coordinated during the day with northbound and southbound El Camino getting a green each cycle. However, the left turns may not be given a green depending on the demand. When traffic is light, a differing sequence may occur. In addition, timing changes are made four times a day to handle shifting traffic patterns and you may have gotten caught in one of those transition times.