Garlic, antiques will bring Hwys. 101, 152, 1 to a crawl
Q Traffic alert for Sunday: Highway 101 to Gilroy for the Garlic Festival. Highway 152 west and Highway 1 north and south to the Moss Landing Antique Show. Highway 17 and Highway 1 for the 10K Walk/Run in Santa Cruz. Traffic will be a mess all along the Coast Highway. Mark Freeman
A This is the weekend every year that traffic often grinds to a halt for these events. Allow for extra time and perhaps think of another day for a trip to the beach.
Q Gary, my wife and I drove to Monterey to attend a funeral last Saturday. Traffic was very bad on 101 south and nearly stopped north of Morgan Hill. We eventually were able to exit 101 at Monterey Road.
Here’s the problem: While slowed at a crawl, we saw numerous Caltrans message signs. Not one of them said anything useful. They ALL said: “Severe Drought ... Water Restrictions.” Duh! Didn’t we already know this? What we didn’t know was the cause of the backup or whether we should take an alternate route. Why have these changeable signs and not use them? This sounds to me like a multimillion-dollar boondoggle.
Jimmy Sutton Saratoga
A A common complaint. The drought messages are old by now. Messages about slow traffic ahead need to be posted, but sensors on Highway 101 need upgrading to calculate accurate information.
Q I’m writing in response to a question regarding the signal lights at Loyola Corners and A Street in Los Altos that appeared in your column recently. Any chance we can have the lights remain flashing red in all directions as they have been during construction?
I find that the four-way flashing red lights greatly improve traffic though the intersection. Traffic moves quickly and there is rarely more than one car waiting to go through. As I travel through this intersection at least twice a day at least five days a week, during both rush hour and non-rush hour times, I’ve seen a pretty good sample of traffic flow. Michael Siladi Mountain View
A Hmmmm. This request is a surprise, as is ...
Q In response to the person who wants the flashing red lights to function as stop lights at Loyola Corners: I have never had more than three cars in front of me at this intersection since the flashers were turned on. When the stop lights were working, the wait was often a minute or more. I love the virtual all-way-stop intersection. It seems much more efficient than stop lights. I don’t understand how it is dangerous.
John Gerich Los Altos
A The county transportation folks believe that converting the flashing red lights back to normal signals in a few weeks will help pedestrians and cyclists get through the intersection in a safer manner. But, after evaluating traffic, they may consider flashing red lights during nonpeak times.