Q: Congratulations on getting another day off every week. Many of us start our day with your column.
Jim Bodwin, Cupertino
A: Thanks. Good news to hear that reading the column is the way you start your day. Roadshow runs five days week now, Tuesday through Friday plus Sunday. Anything else?
A: Then I thought about it some: Nothing much has changed in the 30-plus years since I moved to California. People still drive too fast on freeways. Road boulders still drive too slow on freeways. Loop detectors still fail. Potholes still form. Gas prices still spike.
Why not just reprint old Roadshow columns from past years on Mondays and Saturdays? I doubt if anybody would notice.
Jim Bodwin
A: Don’t forget carpool cheaters, cars driving across solid white lines on express lanes, red light scofflaws and litter on our roads — though there is some hope on that last front.
Caltrans is expanding the Clean California incentive program statewide and offering up to $250 per month to Adopt-A-Highway volunteers who pick up litter along state highways. The expansion comes after a successful pilot in the Sacramento and San Diego regions that added 230 new highway adoptions in just three months.
Caltrans requires volunteers to submit information following eligible cleanup activities to receive a payment. Volunteers provide information on date, location, amount of trash collected, number of volunteers, hours worked and pictures. Adopt-A-Highway participants are limited to one payment a month.
Volunteers who are interested in the Adopt-A-Highway Program can call 866-ADOPTAHWY (866-236-7824) or visit CleanCA.com for more information.
Q: What are we doing about drivers at night with either no headlights, or just daytime running lights on? On some nights I’ve counted 10 cars with just DRLs on.
The drivers are completely oblivious and signaling doesn’t seem to work. Usually they give me a look and keep driving.
I feel the CHP needs to do better enforcement at night for this, as it’s an extreme safety risk.
Nick Radonich, Morgan Hill
A: And …
Q: Every once in a while, I see a dark-colored car driving late in the evening without headlights or even daytime running lights on. Clearly, this is a danger to others on the road. I am tempted to report it, but not sure if I should call 911 or 311. Can you provide some guidance?
Deepak Sabnis
A: My suggestion is to call 911, tell the dispatcher it is a non-emergency call and ask to be transferred to 311, a number you sometimes can’t reach directly by cell phone. You can also flash your headlights to try to show the other driver that they need to turn their lights on.
Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com