Q: About gasoline prices – is it time to bring back the “double nickel?”
John Pearl, Walnut Creek
A: I bet a lot of drivers have no idea what you’re asking about.
Back in the early 1970s during the oil embargo in the U.S., supplies were greatly reduced. To combat the fears of a long embargo, President Nixon approved lowering the federal speed limit to the “double nickel,” 55 mph. This did not go over well with motorists, many of whom ignored the reduced speed limit. It did raise awareness, however, about the degree to which lower speeds can increase gas mileage. The federal law was repealed in 1995.
What was the average price at the pump during the early double-nickel days? Eighty cents per gallon.
Q: I live in the Berryessa district and can’t get over the change in traffic light timing. For example, traveling on Hostetter Road from west to east at Capital Expressway, if there are no cars making a left turn from the east side of Capital, we from the left side would normally be able to proceed from the west to the east. Now, because there are long lines from the west side turning left, we must wait until they finish their turn before we can continue.
I look around me and see how all the cars waiting are just wasting gas because of the timing change.
That’s not all. All of the small streets in the area have light timing changes as well.
Traveling on the major streets that have a lot of traffic, we have to stop because the side street lights turn green, but often, there are no cars on these side streets. We waste much more gas this way. The way it was set up before worked much better.
A: During paving of the area, traffic sensors were inadvertently cut and will be replaced sometime soon. Meanwhile, the city has made some adjustments to ease some of the pain you describe.
Q: Rather than asking you who to call, or asking you to make the call, I went out this evening for a walk with my wife, and took a pole saw and clipper. I managed to trim the branches that were hanging down in front of and obscuring a mid-block traffic signal on Miramonte, going north from Covington to Cuesta.
David Russel, Mountain View
A: Some Roadshow readers like to take matters in their own hands. I’m sure others have had the same idea you did, and appreciate your action to safely and simply increase the traffic signal’s visibility, and pedestrian safety.
Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
