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Why does a turkey cross the road?

We've got the perfect environment for wild turkeys in Sonoma County, with enough open grasslands and rolling oak woodlands to support thousands. So with all that available habitat, why do they wander into parks, backyards and even onto highways? At least two Road Warrior readers have encountered them [...]

By | May 8th, 2013|5 Comments

Mailbag: ‘Children’ in crosswalks, annoying blue headlights and emergency vehicles without sirens

How do you define "children" in school zones? Are those harsh blue headlights legal? When must emergency vehicles use their sirens? The answers to these reader questions follow. When are "children" present? I frequently drive Fulton Road past Piner High School. There is signage that says it's a 25 mph [...]

By | April 8th, 2013|7 Comments

Don’t kill them with kindness

Santa Rosa reader Tina Janulaw shared this recent incident, one that was inspired by kindness but almost ended badly. Did she do the wrong thing? "Last week  I was driving north on Yulupa Avenue past the shopping center where Whole Foods and Petco are located and I noticed a girl [...]

By | March 5th, 2013|26 Comments

Mailbag: Occidental Road, right of way on on/offramps, understanding speed limit signs

Here are questions from Road Warrior readers: Occidental Road needs striping The center line striping on Occidental Road between Fulton Road and Highway 116 is totally worn.  The reflective dots are missing or covered in oil.  Really scary driving are night and especially during the rain. Jerry The answer comes [...]

By | February 15th, 2013|6 Comments

Big drop in tickets, crashes in Sonoma County, CHP stats show

The number of tickets written by CHP officers in Sonoma County dropped  by more than 20 percent and traffic crashes fell by nearly 15 percent last year compared to 2011, according to the latest statistics. The 27,259 tickets written by the local CHP, which covers Sonoma County except for part [...]

By | February 4th, 2013|6 Comments

Mailbag: Frustrating red light at Highway 12/Brush Creek; calling the CHP

Here's a question from a Road Warrior reader: Can you look into the signal light issues that have been occurring Brush Creek Rd and Hwy 12 intersection ever since Caltrans did work there back in August. The sensors DO NOT WORK and cars waiting to turn left and head east [...]

By | December 17th, 2012|5 Comments

Mailbag: Flooding on Highway 101, certifying radar use

Here's a question from a Road Warrior reader: I have been driving Highway 101 from 37 to SF every day for several years (over 15). During this period, I had taken into account various areas of water flooding, such as the Corte Madera dip. The "dip" was the only major [...]

By | November 30th, 2012|5 Comments

Mailbag: Straddling white line on offramp; Penngrove turn dilemma

Here's a question from a reader: Can you get a ticket for straddling a solid white line on the offramp from the freeway? Millie The answer comes from CHP Officer Jon Sloat, who says, "By the LETTER of the law, you technically could be cited for straddling the white line [...]

By | November 23rd, 2012|3 Comments

CHP cracking down on unsafe Thanksgiving drivers

Every available CHP officer will be on patrol for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, trying to ensure everyone travels safely. Billed as a "Maximum Enforcement Period," the CHP's stepped up traffic enforcement starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday and ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. CHP officials said the enforcement particularly is important [...]

By | November 20th, 2012|2 Comments

Mailbag: Can you use carpool lanes on onramps?

Here's a question from a Road Warrior reader: When going northbound on Santa Rosa Avenue and entering the turn lane at Yolanda to get on to northbound 101 there are two turn lanes.  If you are in the left most turn lane, are you supposed to turn into the middle [...]

By | October 26th, 2012|1 Comment