Highway 85 medians may be risky, but alcohol bigger factor
QIt’ssosadto remember the people who died on Highway 85 due to the median problem. Near Saratoga Avenue, there was a sign whereanofficer was killed after he stopped someone for tailgating. A person was going to Stanford to visit his ill wife, but was drunk, went up the embankment and killed the officer. Did he die because the man crossed over from the other side? How tragic that was.
— JAne PArks-McKAy,
SAntA Cruz
AThis did not involve a driver crossing the unprotected median, but it involved a drunk driver. Officer Scott Greenly was killed on Jan. 7, 1998, while making a routine traffic stop when an outof-control driver slammed into him as he petted the dog of the woman he had pulled over. His death led to state law requiring drivers to move into another lane when they spot an emergency vehicle on the side of the road.
The driver of the car that struck and killed Greenly was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to state prison.
Bonjour Monsieur Roadshow! Here are two emails I received last week:
“What a SHOCK to see traffic stopped completely on Highway 1 from the Fishhook to 41st Avenue in Santa Cruz at 4:15 p.m. What happened?”
And…
“My friend who commutes to Hollister said traffic, which was so freeing at the beginning of shelter-in-place, had now returned to insanity.”
This seemed to happen overnight — returning to hordes of cars despite the uptick of people seemingly speeding everywhere. Ugh.
— KAren Poret,
SAntA Cruz
AQYep, traffic is picking up on bridges, Highway 1 and beyond. More alarming is that we also still have outrageous speeders flying down our highways. The California Highway Patrol sent out a report last week saying the number of citations issued statewide from March 19 through April 30 for speeding in excess of 100 mph was 4,000 rather than 2,738, a 113% increase over a year ago, not a 46% increase as the CHP first reported.
Ugh indeed. It’s very dangerous for all.
QI live near San Tomas Expressway. For months there has been Caltrain work. Night after night we’ve had blasting train horns, backup alarms ringing, air horns blowing and crews calling out to each other. It went as late as 5 a.m. the other night. It is annoying and stressful at a time when we are all on edge. When can we expect some relief?
— AlAn Ross, SAntA ClArA
ASoon. This is the staging area for the installation of attachments underneath the expressway that will eventually support electric wires to electrify the line. Caltrain is through what should be the noisiest part of construction, and could be finished next month.
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