State hires more CHP officers to reduce dangerous driving
Q Sorry, Mr. Roadshow, without enforcement (old-fashioned ticketing) Bay Area drivers are not going to slow down, no matter how narrow and dangerous a city makes its roads.
Sirens, flashing lights, and big fines not only embarrass scofflaws, they send a direct message to every driver who sees them pulled over. Having police on key roads on a random day and time schedule should provide the maximum positive effect on our streets. I hope you agree.
— Rich Crowley, San Jose A Yes, enforcement is an important part of keeping our roads safe. Slowly, we are getting there. The CHP is hiring 1,000 new officers over the next few years. Over 6,550 CHP officers are assigned now across the state, with 300+ now in training. Q Christopher Cross asked last week what Swiss roads are made of that makes them so free of potholes. The question presupposes that the building materials are the deciding factor, but there could be others. For one, European countries don't generally add more lane-kilometers than they're able to maintain the way we do. For another, European trucks are tax-incentivized to use tri-axle trailers, so a big rig over there can have as many as six axles, spreading out the weight and causing less damage to the road. Switzerland also has a comprehensive passenger rail network that even reaches small towns, negating the need for road-damaging car journeys.
Maybe they just give their road engineers less work to do in the first place.
— Eamonn Gormley
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Those factors would definitely help reduce wear and tear on the roads. Q I was in the first grade in a parochial school in San Francisco in 1943. Our classes would pick up trash from the playground on a rotating basis during recess. This training has served me well over the years. I wouldn't dream of littering or expecting the custodian to pick up after me! We ask so much of our schools already, but this would be a valuable lesson. — Patricia Derickson A Those were valuable lessons.
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When my kids were in Girl Scouts, we all did the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) in Alameda County. I thought I was a pretty decent parallel parker, but they showed us a really cool trick that makes it almost foolproof. Put the far right front corner of the car behind squarely in the middle of the rearview mirror as you back in. Once you clear the car on your right, spin the wheel hard and you'll just slot right in perfectly. It really is incredible how well this works. — Steve Rempel, Los Altos
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Thanks for the tip. We'll have to try this.