A traffic island at the intersection of McKee and White roads in San Jose. (Photo: Google Street View)
Q: What’s going on at the intersection of McKee Road and White Road? There has been much construction work and it seems like there are no more dedicated right turn lanes. Are there plans to bring them back? The larger, safer pedestrian islands are nice, but this really clogs up traffic flow.
Hank Hu
A: San Jose has installed traffic islands extending into the intersection to slow drivers down. This is happening all throughout the city. The major cause of accidents in most cities is speeding. San Jose and other cities are trying to reduce speed by installing more traffic calming measures. More islands like this will be coming.
Q: All of the discussion about the DMV driving test got me thinking: I wonder how self-driving cars that I see on the road would do in a DMV-style driving test. I suspect that they would pass with perfect marks. They could drive a pre-set route, including a freeway portion, and parallel park. It would be a great article if you could set that up, maybe between an off-duty DMV driving inspector and a local company with a fleet of self-driving cars.
Jim Bodwin, Cupertino
A: An interesting idea. Someday, backup drivers of self-driving cars may have to be tested on how well they monitor and react when they have to take over driving control from these vehicles.
Q: Recently we had a power outage and stop signs were put up at the signals which were out. The next morning the signals were working, but the stop signs were still in place. The question is which you should follow, the stop sign or the signal? I think everyone was confused.
Kris Rubidoux, Morgan Hill
A: If the stop signs are still up, follow the stop signs.
Q: My wife and I were in Switzerland last month and one marvels at the condition of their roads. We were never on a major road where there were potholes, and roads and roadsides were clean, with absolutely no trash! A Swiss couple showed us a video of how sidewalks in their hometown are regularly vacuumed by a machine that is 3-4 feet wide.
What is the composition of Swiss roads that makes them so durable? Why does the U.S. not use those materials? Why do we see almost every street and highway here littered with unbelievable amounts of trash?
Christopher Cross, Danville
A: I don’t know what materials are used for Swiss roads. Does anyone else know? As for U.S. litter, it’s a combination of things, including that there is less social pressure here not to litter than in other countries. What do others think?
Look for Gary Richards at facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Originally published at Gary Richards