Q Hey, Gary, where are all the motorcycle cops in San Jose? We used to see them all the time last year on Santa Teresa Boulevard between Cottle Road and Lean Avenue. I walk that everyday and I can’t believe the speeds that people are traveling. Any chance we could see a few of them out there?
Hank Bucko
San Jose
A Maybe, but not likely. Four years ago the San Jose Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit had 48 motorcycle cops. Today they are down to 13 — and three are out on disability and not likely returning.
But Santa Teresa is on their radar. They use traffic collision data collected monthly throughout the city and analyzed by the crime analysis unit to deploy motor officers in those areas where the most collisions occur.
Q San Jose has officially turned into a crappy dump. Trash everywhere. Freeways are a complete joke. Timed lights? NOT.
The only good thing is no more of the CHP’s Fab Five on motorcycles giving tickets out. I speed everywhere.
Alta K.
Turkish Road Warrior
A You have gone too far. The Fab Five was a Roadshow favorite, roaming South Bay freeways from 2007 to 2012, bringing order to the speeding crisis.
And the number of speeding tickets? The Fab Five had a field day, issuing more than 11,000 tickets in 2008, or more than double the 4,155 handed out the previous year by the entire 70-plus San Jose division that patrols most Santa Clara County freeways and expressways.
Q With all the jobs and economic activities going on around the Bay Area, we should have a new bridge to extend Highway 85 across the bay to connect to Interstate 880. I wouldn’t mind paying for it via sales tax or toll.
Has this idea been mentioned before?
Alex Li
A Yes, but not seriously. There may be a new Dumbarton Bridge with train service some day — long after Mr. Roadshow is relaxing on a beach in Maui with grandkids frolicking in the surf.
Q Regarding the black-and-yellow retro plates, I found my personal experience to be a bit different from your description. You state that these plates are $50. For my full-size pickup (considered a commercial vehicle) they will cost me $40 … PER YEAR! Coolness factor comes with a price.
Sam Dean
Escondido
A And …
Q Please remind readers that any vanity plates cost $50 a year, not just the initial $50.
Judy Paquin
A Definitely not cool.
Q You must not have been a great speller as a kid watching “77 Sunset Strip.” It’s Kookie, not Cookie! And this brought to mind the hit song, “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb.”
Margaret Gaynes
Fremont
A Kookie did use his comb a lot. And I’m still not a great speller.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Follow Gary at Twitter.com/mrroadshow, look for him at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.
