Roadsides trashed again; major cleanup is planned
Q I’m sure this is a continual topic of frustration and anger for many local residents but, egads, the roadside litter! Bob Godwin San Jose A Our roads are again a garbage dump. Caltrans and the CHP plan a major cleanup next month and, man, is it needed. Q There was a car wreck on Interstate 280 just east of 17/880 a month ago. The debris is still on the shoulder and poses a hazard. Who is responsible for taking care of this?
Jason Tertadian San Jose A
And ... Q Can you explain why there would be a full wraparound bumper, complete with license plate, left on the freeway at the scene of an accident? I’m not talking about one. I see them all over the roads. Bob Bossi Hercules A Me, too. Paging Raythe-Tow-Truck-Dude: “We tow drivers are supposed to take the bumper covers, as well as other detritus, along with the vehicle when we tow away the wreck. But often the cars have moved away from the site of the initial impact, so the bumper cover may not be visible or in a safe place to retrieve it. “Often, the CHP or other agency clearing the scene of a collision will toss the bumper cover to the shoulder or center divider just to get it out of the way.
“The CHP wants the road open ASAP, so sometimes we just sweep the trash to the shoulder and scrape the car up and get out of the way, then deal with the reports and other aspects of the crash in a much safer place than the highway.” Q Every few weeks there’s fresh graffiti covering the “Santa Teresa Blvd 1 Mile” sign at the Almaden Expressway exit from Highway 85. A few days later, Caltrans dutifully removes it, and two or three weeks later, the graffiti “artist” dutifully be-smudges the same piece of public property once again.
When I was kid visiting my Grandma in Los Angeles, there was razor wire on practically all of the signs, which helped prevent anyone from marking up our lovely green monoliths to direction. Why doesn’t Caltrans do that here? Peter Wruck Mountain View A State transportation officials have debated this for some time, and razor wire has been added to the I-280 overpass near Bird Avenue. But there is little desire to do this elsewhere. Q I can’t remember the last time I saw someone intentionally throw litter out of a vehicle, but I frequently see litter blow out of the back of pickups.
B.H. San Martin A This may surprise you. A recent Caltrans survey found that nearly half of all motorists admit to sometimes littering. Nearly one out of five say they have intentionally dumped something on the side of the highway, including old furniture or appliances. In addition, 6 percent admitted that they have failed to pick up waste left by pets on the side of the highway.
Said Malcom-the-Caltrans-Boss: “These findings are staggering.”
And disgusting. Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www. mercurynews.com/livechats. Follow Gary at Twitter.com/mrroadshow, look for him at Facebook. com/mr.roadshow.