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Road Warrior

Trying to make sense out of getting around

Watch out for bicyclists this week

Tuesday, at 2:11 by

It’s watch-out-for-bicyclists week. As Sonoma County gears up for Sunday’s start to the Amgen Tour of California, drivers will be encountering many more bicyclists than normal along with some traffic delays and road closures. But the key for all will be safety. The brunt of that responsibility will fall to drivers. While bicyclists must follow traffic laws too, some don’t. So drivers this week will have to take particular care when encountering bicyclists. It’s common for bicyclists in packs to… Read More »

10 mattresses and more picked up along North Coast highways

Wednesday, at 4:45 by

The North Coast’s highways are a bit cleaner these days, especially Highway 53 in Lake County. The highway is only about 7.5 miles long, from Lower Lake to Clearlake Oaks. But Caltrans considers it the dirtiest highway in Lake and Mendocino counties. So last Thursday, which was designated Caltrans’ statewide Annual Litter Day, it probably came as no surprise to the maintenance crews who went out to pick up litter and other garbage along 53 to discover 10 mattresses along… Read More »

DUI crackdown this St. Patrick’s weekend

Thursday, at 2:26 by

Extra police officers will out on patrol this weekend looking for DUI drivers. It’s part of Sonoma County’s anti-DUI Avoid the 13 task force, and it’s being conducted this weekend because Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day, a time when some people celebrate a bit too much and then drive. The extra officers will hit the streets at 6 p.m. Friday, with the extra enforcement ending at 6 a.m. Sunday. “Whether you are meeting a few friends at the local pub… Read More »

Crashes up, fatalities, tickets down in Sonoma County

Monday, at 9:53 by

Traffic crashes rose last year, but fatalities dropped as did tickets and DUI arrests by the Sonoma County CHP, according to the latest statistics. A total of 2,485 crashes were investigated by the local CHP, which covers Sonoma County except for part of the Sonoma Valley. That’s up from 2,405 in 2010 and 2,324 in 2009. Sixteen people died in last year’s crashes — “that’s the lowest number in a long time,” said CHP Officer Jon Sloat, the spokesman for… Read More »

List of additional roads Sonoma County decided to save

Wednesday, at 8:30 by

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to add about 42 miles of roads to the county’s list of priority roads that will receive enough maintenance to keep them in good shape. That’s on top of the 155.9 miles of roads that the board made a priority last year. That’s a total of 198 miles out of the 1,382.8 miles that the county is responsible for. There’s also 20.8 miles of roads that the county roads department wants… Read More »

What do YOU think is the worst intersection?

Wednesday, at 3:45 by

  Which intersection in Sonoma County do you think is the worst? It may be one where the use has overwhelmed the design, where there’s a safety problem, where traffic needlessly backs up or one where you just dread using for whatever reason. Let us know which intersection you think is the worst by leaving a comment/vote  below and please explain why you think it’s the worst. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can send your comment to… Read More »

Mailbag: Why carpool lane hours differ in Sonoma County vs. Marin County

Wednesday, at 8:25 by

We’ve had some questions from readers wondering about the hours of carpool lanes in Sonoma County and such, so we pitched them to Caltrans spokesman Robert Haus to answer: Why are the HOV lanes on 101 in Marin County just one direction in the morning and evening but both directions in Sonoma County? The first segment of Marin-101 HOV lane that opened in 1974 as a bus lane. Carpools were permitted in 1976.  Traffic congestion increased in one predominate direction… Read More »

Carpooling: Not many do it in Sonoma County

Tuesday, at 8:32 by

                    With more carpool lanes being built along Highway 101 in Sonoma County, we’ve been wondering how many people carpool and use the lanes. Here are some facts and figures we’ve come across: Carpooling remains at historic lows The Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey found 10.3 percent of  workers living in Sonoma County carpool. That’s 22,622 carpoolers out of 219,015 workers. The 2010 stats are lower from 2009, when 11.1… Read More »

Mailbag: Legal to pass on the shoulder of the road?

Saturday, at 7:37 by

Here’s a question from a Road Warrior reader: This is a situation that I see all the time in Sonoma County.  I think there’s potential risk either way.  I’m curious what the legal answer is to this: There’s a car in front of you turning left, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear.  The road is two lane with an ample shoulder.  Can you (the car waiting behind) after checking for any other hazards, pull around the stopped car in front of you? Sally The… Read More »

Most stolen cars/pickups/SUVs in Sonoma County

Monday, at 6:20 by

  Here are lists of the top 10 most stolen vehicles in Sonoma County in 2010, the latest year for which data is available: CARS 1. 1992 Honda Accord 2. 1991 Toyota Camry 3. 1997 Honda Accord 4. 1990 Honda Accord 5.1999 Honda Civic 6. 1996 Honda Accord 7. 1998 Honda Civic 8. 1994 Honda Accord 9. 1990 Toyota Camry 10. 1995 Honda Civic   PICKUPS/SUVS 1. 1999 Ford F-250 2. 1986 Toyota pickup 3. 1993 Nissan Pathfinder 4. 1987… Read More »