Refusal to fix roads brings a driver to tears: Roadshow
Q: I cried when I read the front-page article describing how VTA plans to re-prioritize the Measure B tax proceeds to fund the BART extension through San Jose rather than fund the promised road repairs that were described in the 2016 proposition.
How can they do that? Although there was a cap described in the proposition (25% for BART), VTA now wants to say that cap applies over the 30-year life of Measure B, and they want to use that 25% and defer road repairs that I believe were the principal reason that people approved the proposition.
I want 75% of that money to fund road repairs now, not a BART extension. If Measure B had said 25% for BART in the first decade, with road repairs coming later in the remaining 20 years, you and I both know that it never would have passed.
Brad Herrmann
A: Don’t be so sure of that. Santa Clara County voters have approved a half-dozen sales taxes for roads and transit since 1976 and have never turned one down.
But with the virus-depressed economy and sales tax revenues plunging, spending for the 2016 measure needs to be reviewed. Currently, road upgrades get $148 million a year, but that may fall to less than $50 million a year if BART tunneling through downtown San Jose is the top priority.
The VTA expects to make some tough choices next spring.
Q: I have a sincere but possibly fruitless hope that the main Diridon train station in downtown San Jose is somehow preserved.
Rose Steele
A: Way too early to say if the existing historic brick station will remain in its current location. The plan does not yet detail how or where the current station building could be relocated or otherwise preserved and it could be several years before a decision is made.
Q: My son will be 15½ on Dec. 9. Since we still can’t get an appointment for his permit test, we’ll be standing in line to file his paperwork and have him take the test. What is the best day or time to wait in line at the Hayward DMV?
A: This just in: The DMV is taking appointments again — but so far only for behind-the-wheel tests.
They have also automatically extended driver’s license permits with expiration dates through May 31 to give student drivers more time during the pandemic to complete prerequisites needed for a provisional license, including six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction with a driving school and 50 hours of supervised driving practice.
The extension covers six months from the date of expiration or 24 months from the date of application, whichever is earlier.
For your son’s initial permit application, go online to complete paperwork and check for wait times at the Hayward DMV, which can vary from day to day. Lately, wait times have been shortest at the start and end of the business day and on Wednesdays.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.