Q: Can you do an article on public transportation, especially Caltrain? If public transportation is to survive and flourish, we need riders back. Presently, Caltrain is empty.
My husband is 90 and can’t drive, so he depends on Caltrain to get to work three days a week but normally he’s the only one in the car. On Saturday we took the train from San Antonio to Santa Clara to bike around. The train was extraordinarily clean. On the return trip we had four people in the car. Of course, everyone was wearing a mask. It was a good experience.
Karen Sundback, Palo Alto
A: You ask one of the great questions about the pandemic and its impact on our commutes, both on mass transit and freeways. Ridership on Caltrain, BART, light rail and buses is waaaaaaay down, as much as 70 percent, although some agencies report a slight uptick in recent weeks.
What will be the long-term impact if, as expected, more people work from home, freeing some of the gridlock on our roads? Less congestion could mean fewer commuters seeing mass transit as a needed option.
Washington has provided $982 million to help Bay Area transit agencies battered from revenue losses due to the pandemic. Caltrain will increase its weekday service from 68 to 70 trains per day to accommodate more riders, while tweaking departure times to make its schedule more reliable.
And happy birthday to your husband, James, who turns 91 on April 30. He’s working, riding Caltrain and bicycling in his spare time. Mrs. Roadshow and I are very impressed by you both.
Q: ARGHHHH! A teachable moment and you whiffed it.
Your answers were weak at best on bikes and cars in an intersection. The DMV website says drivers must “yield to traffic and pedestrians already in the intersection or just entering the intersection. … Also, yield to the vehicle or bicycle that arrives first.”
That is the law. But some people seem to think they can dart ahead if they want. Are you kidding me? You did not go far enough in setting them straight.
I say this as a former cyclist and road warrior. During my career as a traveling salesperson, I was given plenty of opportunities to learn the rules of the road at multiple training sessions kindly provided by the CHP, aka “Traffic School.” Back then they said, “Last car in the intersection has the right of way” and that “car” applied to any moving vehicle or person, including those on bicycles.
This information could literally save lives.
Diane Crowley, Walnut Creek
A: Yes it can.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.