Car alarms ignored; Highway 85 bike trail on hold: Roadshow

Q: Evidently there are extra automobile break-ins (in San Francisco, particularly), and there was one in my neighborhood this previous week. Sooooo, what’s with automobile alarms? The place did they go? Years in the past you solely needed to nudge a automobile and their alarms would sound. Now I hear none and vandalism continues with parked automobiles and broken home windows.

Okay.J., Scott, San Jose

A: Automotive alarms are well-liked, possibly too well-liked. Police say alarms are so delicate that they’re usually triggered by accident, and other people have turn out to be resistant to them, ignoring them as false alarms. They could be efficient in opposition to newbie thieves and joyriders, as they are going to normally choose a automobile with out an alarm earlier than one that’s alarmed. Skilled automobile thieves, nevertheless, can disable an alarm in just some seconds.

Automotive thefts now account for a staggering $8.2 billion a 12 months in losses within the U.S., and the cities with the very best price of thefts per resident could shock you. Albuquerque had essentially the most stolen in 2018, with Bakersfield No. 4. Redding, Stockton, Vallejo, Los Angeles and San Jose all got here within the high 50.

Q: I imagine the Highway 85 transit idea down the median is just too good of an thought to not occur. Saying it might appeal to too few riders appears ridiculous, given how congested 85 is throughout regular instances at rush hours.

Steven-A-Gentle-Rail-Fan

A: Ridership would probably not be excessive outdoors of commute instances. About 40% of riders via downtown San Jose come between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. As a substitute, the VTA is trying to convert the present carpool lanes on 85 into categorical lanes and in addition to run extra buses and shuttles.

Q: You say that a bike trail along the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)  tracks parallel to Freeway 85 is deliberate however not imminent. What does that imply?

Don Collins, San Jose

A: Cupertino has launched a examine to construct out a portion of the path alongside UPRR — named the De Anza Path. Alas, UPPR doesn’t help any path alongside their tracks. Regardless of a big and protracted effort, Cupertino was not in a position to attain a compromise with the UPRR. Constructing a path alongside this hall continues to be a long-term aim, however shouldn’t be possible within the brief time period on account of present UPRR insurance policies.