A Press Democrat Blog

Road Warrior

Trying to make sense out of getting around

Is the traffic light broken?

Thursday, at 6:08 by

No commuter ever enjoys stopping for red lights, but sitting through several light cycles or being stopped for no apparent reason can really get the blood boiling. Two readers asked about locations that bring lots of mail: Santa Rosa Avenue at Hearn Avenue, and Fountaingrove Parkway. Santa Rosa Traffic Engineer Rob Sprinkle provides the explanations. Question: What’s up with the lights at the Santa Rosa Avenue and Hearn overpass around 4 to 5 in the afternoon? I’ve seen it where… Read More »

A healthcare traffic jam

Friday, at 6:13 by

As Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Rosa campus grows, so do the traffic woes. It’s difficult for patients to get into and out of the campus without delay. We’re still waiting for a response from Kaiser Permanente representatives to this question from Road Warrior reader Judson, but city traffic engineers say they are well aware of the problem. My beef and concern is the way the City of Santa Rosa is working with Kaiser Hospital in managing traffic at their main hospital… Read More »

Mailbag: More complaints about Santa Rosa intersections; Petaluma project

Friday, at 6:17 by

Our previous Mailbag column generated comments and questions from readers: From Tim: I have been doing a lot of driving in the Coddingtown area as of late and noticed an area of concern: Can you have someone look into the intersection of Cleveland Ave. & Guerneville Road? Specifically, going eastbound on Guerneville and turning north onto Cleveland the light stays green for LESS than 10 seconds. The dangerous part is most drivers are not aware of this, and I witnessed… Read More »

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

Monday, at 6:06 by

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 onto Hwy 12 from Brush Creek Road are left sitting at the signal for sometimes close to 8 to 10 minutes waiting for a green light. Just this past weekend,… Read More »

Mailbag: Why Santa Rosa’s traffic signals are on the fritz

Friday, at 3:49 by

Here’s a question from a reader: Has anyone noticed the traffic signal sequences this past week?  Seems like that most of them (at least) on the west side of Santa Rosa area have been reset to the previous signal program, which is not as efficient as the one that was working for the last about 2 years, in that  it kept the traffic moving very smoothly. Some left turn arrow/signals are now GREEN before the straight/forward GREEN, which is causing… Read More »

Mailbag: Can buses be in No. 1 lane? College/Humboldt?

Saturday, at 6:04 by

Here’s a question from a reader: Why is it that buses (usually casino bound) can drive in the #1 lane even after carpool hours are over? It seems to me that buses should be following the same rules as trucks with trailers and have to stay in the far right lane except to pass. I see almost daily buses holding up faster traffic in the #1 lane and cars maneuvering around them which is creating unsafe conditions. Thanks, Nate The answer comes from CHP Officer Jon Sloat, spokesman… Read More »

How traffic lights work — or don’t

Tuesday, at 5:45 by

Ever wonder what the heck the city is thinking about when it programs its traffic lights? One frustrated reader did and sent us the following question, which we forwarded to Santa Rosa’s traffic engineer, Rob Sprinkle, for a response, which is below: The question: As a Santa Rosa driver, I’m amazed and frustrated by the traffic lights in town. They seem designed to impede traffic, not facilitate it. In most cities, if you are driving on a major thoroughfare, going… Read More »