Cars can too easily mistake light-rail tracks for roadway

Q

In the approximately 10 minutes I was at First Street and Paseo de San Antonio light-rail station in San

Jose one morning, I saw two cars drive up the train tracks.

Have any Roadshow readers ended up on the tracks downtown and bailed onto San Fernando Street without incident? If so, what went wrong that they ended up on the tracks? There aren’t that many Kadiddlehoppers out there. I believe the answer lies in improved signage and lane markings.

— Amy Sargent, San Jose

A

Amy drives this area frequently and sees this too often. And this happened to Mattthe-Roadshow-Son a few years ago. Plus, while there are signs indicating that light-rail tracks are separate from the part of the street used by cars, the VTA says it occasionally sees cars mistaking the tracks for a street.

Safety railings installed just before COVID hit are proving to deter track intrusion in downtown San Jose. The VTA will extend the railings as part of an upcoming project that will also include signage, striping and markers (dots) at the entrance point to deter vehicles from entering the light-rail trackway.

The VTA has just started on the next phase and will evaluate this location at this time. This should be a priority.

Q

Who pays for the twice-a-week testing when a San Jose police officer refuses the vaccine? Just wondering who is footing the bill.

— Colleen Talamantes,

San Jose

A

The cop.

Q

So much for the much-touted Hillsdale Avenue road diet being completed in the summer of 2021. That ship has sailed. It is still impossible to enjoy time in my backyard, or even in the house when the windows are open because of the half-mile drag strip between Almaden Expressway and Cherry and the noise of all the hot rods and motorcycles. What’s the update? Summer of 2022?

— Tom Maag, San Jose

A

Late this year. You deserve to enjoy time in your backyard.

Q

Last month you discussed the road diet planned for Hillsdale Avenue in San Jose. Any similar plans to “rightsize” the section of Hillsdale bordering Communications Hill and narrow Hillsdale?

— Tara J., San Jose

A No.

Q

Regarding your response to a letter suggesting blinkers should be automatically shut off after a minute or two and you said newer cars have louder blinker sounds, I recall a question you asked of your readers awhile back about why they don’t choose to use their blinkers. One of the responses was because the noise was too loud.

— Connie Luna, Aromas

A

I had forgotten that. Thanks for the laugh.

Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/ mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.