“I moved here last year from West San Jose. The collection company there picked up all the yard and tree clippings that you put out by the curb. Any chance to get Recology to do the same? I have more than can fit the compost can plus the 30-gallon cans. I think this would provide incentive to people to do more pruning and clean up.”
Red Phone: Dear Curb Service Needed, While this service may be convenient, many cities are reluctant to allow trash to be dumped directly into the street, said Phil Couchee, general manager of Recology, which contracts with the City of Gilroy for trash removal.
“It never gets picked up 100 percent,” he said. “Sometimes you have piles of debris out there for days on end. It can cause problems when it goes into the storm drain. You still see this with some of the older programs, but the newer programs require that yard waste be in containers.”
So good caller, it looks like you’ll have to keep saving up your compost to put in bins.
Turn lane not a stop lane
“Can you tell the residents of Gilroy that the right turn going south on Monterey Road onto Leavesley Road is not a stop. There is no stop sign or yield sign, but I can’t count how many times I am stopped behind a car because they are scared that oncoming traffic will hit them. What these people don’t realize is that we have a lane for ourselves to turn onto Monterey Road. The other day I sat for more than five minutes behind a woman. I repeatedly honked and she would not budge even though a line of cars had formed behind her honking. I fear someday this will make someone go over the edge with road rage.”
Red Phone: Dear Enraged On Monterey, Thank you for your reminder about this turn lane. There is indeed a dedicated turn lane as the road goes from two lanes to three lanes. Drivers who are merging onto Leavesley Road still need to be aware of drivers who may be trying to turn right into the exit lane.
