Q: Have you seen cars with a big LED sign on the roof, showing various ads while driving? I’ve seen two now.The animations sure are distracting. Is this legal?
Roger P.
A: No. These signs are only permitted on buses operated by a publicly owned transit system like VTA, SamTrans and AC Transit on regularly scheduled service.
Q: Now that the proposal for dedicated bus lanes on El Camino Real between Santa Clara and Palo Alto has thankfully been abandoned, perhaps the VTA might be more receptive to alternate proposals to speed up buses in this congested corridor. Here’s an idea that could be tried on a small scale at low cost:
- The first key ingredient is a new siren sound on buses — same volume as police and emergency vehicles use, but a distinct, more melodious sound.
- The second key ingredient is to identify areas along El Camino where cars could most easily pull over to the right as they do for police and emergency vehicles.
- The third key ingredient is to educate the public. When they hear the new siren, drivers should merge to left or pull over and stop in the area to the right.
Robert Brown
Menlo Park
A: Holly-the-VTA-Siren-Lady says she gives you “bonus points for creativity, but the California Vehicle Code does not permit public buses to make any sounds other than honking the horn.”
Q: I just passed through Donner Pass on Interstate 80 and the truck lanes are really rutted. … I drove through this eastbound to Reno and the right lane is no joke. Heavy grooves in the pavement. … Has Caltrans come up with a solution yet?
Kathy Wylie, Jerry Valenzuela and others
A: The state is either going to request funding for emergency repairs before next winter, program funding into the 2018-19 fiscal year for repairs or initiate a construction project that addresses the issue. A couple of construction projects are already on the books for I-80 that include slab replacement in the areas of concern but not anytime soon. The first is scheduled for 2022-2023.
Q: I am temporarily living in Peru where the driving style is much more aggressive than in the U.S. Dive bombing at high or low speed is very common here. People just create another lane as desired. While it may not be the most egregious illegal activity. I would recommend that police figure out soon how to effectively nip it in the bud because it will only get worse over time.
Jane Divinski
Lima, Peru
A: Dive bombers in Lima? Say it isn’t so.
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