Project creates dangerous lane shifts on Highway 101
QAs part of the FasTrak project on Highway 101 in Palo Alto and Mountain View, there is work along the median, and Caltrans has shifted lanes in a couple of places. However, there is no warning of these lane changes and they are rather abrupt instead of gradual.
This is really unsafe. In the morning on multiple occasions the last three weeks in Mountain View between Rengstorff Avenue and Shoreline Boulevard, cars have failed to recognize the shift and continue to drive straight, putting those in the carpool lane and the leftmost lane at serious risk.
Can Caltrans put up orange signs both on the median and shoulder, warning people of upcoming lane shifts, and make the shifted lanes longer and more gradual in transition?
— Arjun Prabhu,
Palo Alto
A
You are one of many asking.
Q
Mr. Roadshow, what were they thinking? The new abrupt lane shifts on Highway 101 in Palo Alto and Mountain
View seem designed to cause accidents. What a crazy thing to do, especially in the winter with rain and shorter days, thus lower visibility. I have to navigate two of them on my commute between Embarcadero Road and Highway 85, an area of bad traffic as it is. … This is extremely dangerous. Every day I see drivers almost hitting the guy in the next lane as they react to this change. — Diana Darcy, Raiza Montecito, Kiran A. and others
AThis is to upgrade median barriers for FasTrak and to shift traffic while the work is being done. But the absence of warning signs is inexcusable. Word is in to correct this oversight.
QThere are signs on Highway 17 of upcoming work. What’s going on?
— Fred Bunce, Santa Cruz
AOne lane and the shoulder on southbound 17 could be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays for the next several weeks from Redwood
Estates Road to Summit Road for tree and brush removal, as well as erosion control. Expect delays. Go to Firesafe17. com for information and updates.
QI want to share some good news. I had the application form for getting a handicap placard but could not get an appointment at DMV, and the lines were too long. My surgery was just a week away, so I really needed to get it quickly.
I then tried AAA and was very successful. Let everyone know that some (not all) AAA offices will process the application. It took all of 10 minutes. I used the office at Westgate West on Prospect Road.
— Roberta White, San Jose
AYou can also go to an AAA office for renewals if you are a AAA member. You can process many DMV transactions through AAA, with the major exception of driver’s license and Real ID applications.