Q: I wish there was an easy way to get our neighbors to stop speeding through our streets. Many people seem to have a mentality that once they leave their driveway, other houses are just something to speed past.
I live on a hill and have to deal with a parade of Teslas speeding down the street as we try to back out of our driveway. We’re just annoyances who impede their trajectory from home to 280.
Diana A., San Jose
A: A few years ago, San Jose police held a series of neighborhood watch meetings, expecting to hear about many issues. Overwhelmingly, the No. 1 complaint was drivers speeding on local streets.
The problem persists, and can be especially distressing when the offenders are your neighbors. Some people put up plastic images of children at play in an effort to get people to slow down. Photo radar might have been a partial solution, but was discontinued across the Bay Area when legal issues arose.
Q: Chalk up another catalytic converter theft, this one in San Leandro last week. Our 2001 Prius had almost no dollar value, but these idiots stole the converter anyway.
The Alameda County sheriff’s office took a report, but didn’t offer hope of getting it returned. My mechanic estimated $4,500 for the replacement part alone. The car is not worth that.
I think it’s time to get tough on these kinds of thefts — like, no-parole, minimum one year in the slammer, and repay the victim, with interest. Do we pay our cops to handle these kinds of cases? Or do we need more taxes to hire detectives to ferret out this scum?
Thieves will operate unabated until there is massive, sustained, unrelenting capture and punishment. Why do we coddle thieves? (I don’t even want to get into the brazen smash-and-grabs recently).
Mike Cheponis, Santa Clara
A: Police are getting tougher in several cities and have conducted stings on people who accept stolen catalytic converters for the hundreds of dollars they can get when they sell them. Expect more busts to happen if this problem persists, which is certainly likely.
Q: Here’s one I never heard before. A woman recently purchased a used car from a local dealer and kept having to return it, complaining that a warning sound was repeatedly coming on. Multiple attempts failed to reveal a cause.
Finally, a ride with the mechanic uncovered the reason. The radar warning that she was too close to objects in front of her was going off because she was following too closely to the cars ahead of her.
Myron Gananian, Menlo Park
A: Great story. Hopefully she changed her driving.
Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
