San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Mr. Roadshow column [San Jose Mercury News, Calif.]

Jan. 10--Q Mr. Roadshow, my husband has an Acura SUV, and he always speeds at 70 or 80 mph on the highway. He got a speeding ticket recently, one of several over the past three to four years. But those did not fix him.

He claims that the SUV is strong and fast and he is OK with it. I don't know how to make him slow down. He is otherwise a very careful driver. It's very contradicting, isn't it?

Do you have any idea what to do? Tickets do not change him, and I don't want to think about "what else." Please sign my name anonymous, as he might read this and get angry.

A concerned wife

A You are the one who should be angry. Ask him this: If he got into a crash because he was driving too fast and you were hurt, how would he then feel about his stubborn ways? Newer SUVs are safer today if they have electronic stability control. If not, they are prone to tipping over at even moderate speeds. You can also talk to your insurance agent and ask how much more you are paying because of all these speeding tickets. Insurance experts say speeders can expect premium hikes on average of 27 percent for a single ticket and up to 40 percent for a second offense. I can handle him going 70 mph, but not 80 mph -- and not listening to his wife.

Q I keep telling (OK, nagging!) my husband about speeding. I say it takes a lot longer to get a ticket than to stay at or near the speed limit.

He says his odds of being stopped are so low that my reasoning doesn't hold water. Could you, once again, list the costs of a ticket for someone going only 5 to 10 miles over the limit? Money matters to him.

Barbara Wilbur

A Speeding up to 15 miles over the limit can cost around $214. Going 16 to 25 miles over the limit will run about $328.

Now I have a question. How do spouses or significant others handle driving complaints about each other? Do you tolerate your differences, get quietly steamed with your hubby or wife or blow up with an on-the-road argument? Mrs. Roadshow and I do have some driving disagreements that can be unpleasant at times.

Q The northbound Highway 101 exit to Holly Street in San Carlos gets a little hairy in the evenings. Cars looping around from crossing over the freeway and merging into the northbound metering light lanes tend to be too many. Not to mention the violators that cheat and try to beat a few more cars by taking the exit and hopping back on 101. It seems as though cars merging off the overpass to north 101 should have at least one yield sign, if not two, especially with cars coming off the freeway anywhere from 40 to 50 mph. There are a lot of confused drivers and near-misses every day.

Adam Bishop

San Carlos

A Sorry, but Caltrans says it will not post yield signs at a ramp onto a freeway, as this is a merge situation.

Q I take Blossom Hill Road west every morning and turn right onto Almaden Expressway. If there's a red light, I always stop and wait for a chance to merge. Many times as I wait for a safe time to merge, someone behind me begins to lay on the horn (to answer your possible thought, I am not someone who needs an invite when there is proper space). I'm assuming the right way to proceed is to wait for a safe time to merge instead of just going and hoping no one will be cutting into the popular right lane to get onto Highway 85. Am I correct to be very annoyed with the horn-happy driver behind me, or am I in the wrong?

Brian Kaltsas

A I will side with you, but this is a tough area that should get better. The county will be adding an extra lane in both directions on Almaden to reach 85. In addition, the northeast corner at Almaden and Blossom Hill will be changed to eliminate free right turns, and westbound traffic will be required to stop on red before turning right (when safe to do so). There will also be a third eastbound left-turn lane. Work could wrap up by the end of the year. Go to www.countyroads.org for details.

Q VTA just doesn't get it. The reason ridership keeps going down is they keep raising fares, cutting schedules and routes. Forget VTA if you have to commute to work for a swing or night shift, as there is no service available in many areas. Many routes end services by 8:15 p.m., and it can take an hour to an hour and a half to travel a distance you could drive in 20 minutes. Heck, you could probably walk there faster.

Tommy Van Etten

A Ridership is way down from the peak of almost a decade ago, but since tough cuts were made a few years ago, the focus has been on increasing service on the most popular routes and on express buses.

Low-performing lines have been cut back. Is it working?

Ridership on the Valley Transportation Authority's express lines fell from around 4,000 a day in 2008 to 2,736 in 2010 but last year jumped back to almost 4,000 and is up 12 percent from a year ago. The new service on more rider-friendly buses that began Monday could continue the upward trend.

Contact Gary Richards at [email protected] or 408-920-5335.

___

(c)2012 the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services