Dear Punctured,
Red Phone contacted South Valley Disposal & Recycling General Manager Phil Couchee, who said the garbage company sweeps Santa Teresa Boulevard every other week.

"We took a look at Santa Teresa Boulevard, having been swept three days ago, and some debris had already begun to accumulate. As far as the right hand turn lanes go, the debris we observed was in the middle of the intersection where no curbs exist, an area not normally swept by the sweeper. We will have the sweeper continue sweeping through these intersections where bike lanes exist to collect the buildup of debris caused by turning traffic.

So commuter, let Red Phone know if things don't improve along Santa Teresa Boulevard in the next few weeks.

Traffic enforcement needed
"Hi, just wanted to mention about people not stopping at stop signs at all. I live on Chesbro Way and I use the street off Kern Avenue every day. Near Rod Kelley Elementary School I've seen three people run the stop sign. I could have been hit. Can you imagine if this happens when the kids are walking to or from school? These people just wave at me like they're saying 'Oh well,' and also the speeding is out of control. Thank you, and can you please look into this?"

Dear Worried,
Red Phone contacted Sgt. Jim Gillio who said he forwarded your complaint to the traffic officer who will check it out. Keep an eye on the intersection and let Red Phone know if things don't improve.

Road striping is a mess
"What is with the new road striping on Thomas Road between the intersections of Luchessa Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard? The new paint was applied by a city of Gilroy employee who apparently left both his glasses and measuring tape at home for the day. Thomas Road was restriped approximately a year ago (which looked fine) and has now been recently defaced with indiscriminately placed stripes that leave the driver pondering their purpose. If the city wishes to dream up new ways of routing traffic please do so with more care and follow up on your employee's work. The workmanship of the new traffic lines is poor at best as there is nothing linear about them.

Dear Rerouted,
Red Phone contacted Carla Ruigh, operations services manager for the city, who said you are correct in pointing out some problems with the striping at Luchessa Avenue and Thomas Road.

"The traffic layout was re-designed by the City's engineering staff at the request of the city council to address changes in the road that were done when the new housing on Thomas was constructed. My staff repainted the traffic markings in accordance with the plan provided by engineering. We are planning on returning to the area to correct some of the problems. In order to obscure the old lines, staff actually ground out the old traffic markings. This has given us better results in other situations than painting over the old markings. However, in this case, the marks from the grinding are so visible, that we are not happy with the outcome. Staff is reviewing different options to resolve that problem. Also, we will be repainting some of the stripes that were not as straight or distinct as we expect."

So good caller, have patience. Soon the roadway will be striped correctly, hopefully eliminating any confusion on the part of motorists.