Blatant roadside dumping on well-traveled ramp raises question about frequency: Roadshow

Driver shocked to see truck driver boldly toss debris

Q: Like another person who recently wrote to you, I am bothered by graffiti and dumping near freeways and on and off-ramps.

I live in Portola Valley and helped clean up the ramp from Alpine Road to northbound Interstate 280 a few years ago. I was about to enter this on-ramp a few months ago. It’s a three-way intersection. I came to a halt and waited to make the left turn. To my right, a large commercial truck exiting I-280 was about to enter the intersection ahead of me. Normally, traffic at this intersection would turn left onto westbound Alpine Road, but the truck passed through the intersection and onto the 280 on-ramp (which the driver had just exited).

“Huh? Perhaps they are unfamiliar with the area?” I pondered. As I approached the on-ramp, I noticed the truck had pulled off to the left side, where there is a large open dirt area. The truck had apparently dumped debris!

The vehicle had no license plate on the back. I couldn’t see the front of the truck because I was on an on-ramp with traffic behind me, but I’m guessing there was no plate there, either. I did look to see if the truck bore a business name. There wasn’t any.

The driver, in my opinion, knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going to dump the load in broad daylight on a well-traveled on-ramp. I believe it will be difficult to track down drivers engaging in this illegal activity.

Thank you very much for your column.

— Lizzie Sippl

A: Have you seen similar blatant dumping along roads and freeways?

— Minckler, Maxine

A: Mrs. Roadshow had a similar experience on the San Tomas Expressway a few years ago.

Q: I’m having a safety concern on Interstate 680 northbound just after the Highway 84 exit. Near the white barricades, the fast lane near the Koopman Road exit is extremely congested. The lane has a seam that catches your tire and pulls it. You can either proceed to the barricades or to the next lane. Is there anything that can be done? I’m just waiting for something to go wrong.

— Anne from San Leandro

A: I’m looking for an answer. Meanwhile, other drivers should be aware that they should exercise caution in this area.