The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-01
DEPLORES SANTA
CLARA BAD ROADS
George B. POlhemus Tells of the
Conditions of the High
ways in the County

George b. Polhemus, president of the
Santa Clara County automobile asso-
citation, of San Jose, who can safely be
called one of the greatest good roads
enthusiasts in the state, has written to
The Call as follows:
Our mountain road to Santa Cruz is
being travelled daily at this season of
the year by 80 automobiles through the
week, TO say nothing of horse drawn
vehicles, and from IS to 100 cars on
Saturday and Sunday, and we often
hear of serious accident, to say moth
ing of the many narrow escapes that
are not heard OF. 1t is safe to say
that with the road in its present condi-
ton trip over 1T without close call
is rare. This danger is principally
occasioned by the narrowness at the
many sharp turns. For example, in
making the trip Sunday, met a large
Limousine touring car at one of the
turns on new piece of road. We
met exactly on the turn and stopped,
finding that the cars were separated
by only four feet before the drivers
could see each other. and only for
excessive caution another accident
would have been added to the usual
Mondays list
Another example of the sharpness
OF the turns was that two cars came
together on one. and while they were
repairing the damages, down came a
third car, and it was almost impossible
TO see all Of them from the road itself
at one time. There seems to be no
excuse for this condition. as all it
needs is an inexpensive picking away
of the bank TO widen the road. An
other danger exists from the watering.
The dust is allowed to get four or FIVE
inches deep, then is wet on the top Of
ii, so that when wheels strike il with
a side force, which they can not avoid
by one wheel dropping into one of the
many holes, the cars are caused to skid,
which is very dangerous on our valley
roads, to say nothing of the mountains.
Why can not we nave road over the
mountains TO Santa Cruz like San Ma
teo county has TO Half Moon Bay, the
best I ever saw, macadamized. and,
what is more important, cared for?
1t is wide enough for four vehicles
to pass at time. What would this
kind of road mean to San Jose ana
our county? Infinitely more than any
thing that could be done in the way of
advertising. Santa Cruz would benefit
materially, but of course would have
her own half to keep up, which, how
ever, she is willing to obligate herself
to do. The condition of our roads is
causing the San Francisco motorists
to take their trips through the north
ern counties, where they are making
every effort to attract, making the
condition Of their roads a strong in
ducement, as may be seen by the pa
pers
My connection with the Santa Clara
County automobile club and with the
Best Roads association, which latter
really looked at its inception as if it
might be a live one with indirectly
some 5000 members, but which has
lapsed into a sort of lethargy for some
reason, causes many questions to be
put to me. For example, on our road
to San Francisco on the west side, the
bridge over the San Francisquito creek,
which divides San Mateo and Santa
Clara counties, is about 80 feet long
and for the last two months, half, or
the Is feet on the San Mateo side, has
been refioored and our half still re-
mains in splinters. Very many people
prefer to lay such things at the door
of our Best Roads efforts, and rightly.
What we should do, if not building new
and lasting roads, is to at least keep
what we have in a creditable condition,
which can only be done by constant re-
pairing in judicious manner.
The greater part of our road to
Gilroy, after leaving the petrolithic,
Will give evidence of this, for with
constant patching II has been kept
fairly good. The condition of our main
highway, when it passes through city
limits of all the towns in our county,
is shameful. This main road must be
kept smooth and good, and trust there
is some way to bring about such re-
suit, and that 1t will be found and
adopted IN the near future to avoid
any comparisons being drawn with
some of our neighbors who are really
trying. The city of San Jose is about
TO build three miles of scenic road at
Alum Rock park, and I trust that no
opposition comes up to deprive us of it.