Skateboarder’s choice of riding surface was WHERE?
Q Recently, my wife and I witnessed something that should qualify for the bonehead of the week (or month or year — pick your own time frame) award. — Tom Hatley, San Jose A You have my attention. Fire away.
Q
We were headed to Pacifica via Highway 1 south. As we left the vicinity of Highway 35, we encountered significant traffic. I figured that this was all traffic headed down to Half Moon Bay, and that we were in for a long ride. After a couple of minutes, I was able to see that a car with its emergency blinkers on was moving slowly in the right lane, and cars in the left lane were moving just about as slowly.
Finally, I could see that in front of the emergency blinkered car, there was a skateboarder going downhill right in the middle of the right lane. He was going at a pretty good clip and swooping from side to side in the lane. After a time, he swooped onto the first exit, and traffic returned to normal.
What is the penalty for SUI (Skateboarding Under the Influence)? I can think of no reason why anyone would pull such a stunt. — Tom Hatley A Bonehead, indeed. He could have been fined several hundred bucks and escorted off the highway. But kudos to drivers in both lanes for slowing down.
Q
I saw a little girl about 10 years old riding a bike on Highway 87 north after I merged onto the freeway from Almaden Expressway about 9:30 a.m. one recent day. She had her headset on. She stopped on the shoulder and appeared to be looking at her phone for directions and then started riding again.
There isn’t much of a shoulder to pull over and help her, and being in a car there was no way to get her and her bike off the freeway. Thoughts on how best to respond? — Gaya Vukkadala, San Jose A This most definitely merited an urgent 911 call. Lost 10-year-old on a bicycle along a highspeed freeway. Q Just to add my $.02 regarding the dangerous bump on southbound Highway 87 before the Taylor Street exit: it’s like “The Dukes of Hazzard” in the center lane and it’s also affecting the commuter lane. I make sure to get into the far right lane to avoid it.
The first time I hit that thing, I thought I was going to lose control of my car. The second time was enough to make me commit it to memory.
I just worry that if
I die from hitting this spine tingler, it will be Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane waiting for me on the other side. — Carlos Zertuche, San Jose A Hmmm. Perhaps we can send Boss Hogg up to Highway 1.