Q To the reader who said he's seen young, healthy people sitting in disabled seats on BART trains and "not giving them up for pregnant women, the blind, older people or someone holding a baby," I much more regularly see young people giving up their seats to elderly or disabled passengers or choosing to not sit at all, than the situation that this person describes.

Distinguishing the special access seats from others is not a bad idea, but don't use it as an opportunity to make blanket accusations regarding the morality of Bay Area youth. I'd say they are already doing just fine by choosing to ride BART instead of drive.

Robert Prinz

BART riders crowd onto a Fremont-bound train at the El Cerrito Del Norte station, 2007.  (Contra Costa Times/Mark DuFrene)
BART riders crowd onto a Fremont-bound train at the El Cerrito Del Norte station, 2007. (Contra Costa Times/Mark DuFrene) ( MARK DuFRENE )

A This issue has dominated the Roadshow inbox, with many saying young riders are more than gracious.

Q I've seen far more cases of politeness on BART than obvious rudeness. Just the other night I saw a guy who looked about 20 give up his seat to a middle-aged man who just looked tired, and who looked grateful. All anecdotal, of course, but in all my BART rides, I've mostly been really impressed.

Forrest Tanaka

A And ...

Q My observation is that people are too timid and those needing disabled seats on BART should simply ask. I'm in my 70s and often when boarding or standing a young person will offer a senior seat. Sometimes I take it, sometimes I just thank them and stand. But when I have occasionally felt the need and asked for the senior/disabled seat, I have never, ever been refused.

Usually the younger person will look embarrassed that they did not think to offer. On occasion I have seen an elderly person standing and have pleasantly pointed to the person and the senior sign, and the young sitter has always jumped up and offered the seat. People are reluctant to ask and the younger generation get so involved in their media devices that they are mindless, but not immoral, as your writer suggests, or basically inconsiderate.

Jeanine Fetterly


A Now let's hear from a teen rider.

Q I am 15, and while some young people may just be rude and inconsiderate, I have an invisible disability called hypermobility. I know other people around my age that have this same disability or others, and to look at us you would never know. When they go on the train or BART they will get dirty looks for having to sit in the disabled section.

A lot of people think that when they see a young person who is able to laugh and have fun, and is not in a wheelchair or something along those lines, that they are not disabled and should not be using those seats. Some days I have a huge amount of pain that I have to live with. This does not make me feel better about using those seats, but I know that it will make the ride a whole lot less painful.

My friend rides the train a lot and has hypermobility, too. One time, she got spat on by another person because she looks healthy. She has to get a wheelchair when she goes places with a lot of walking.

There are many other invisible disabilities that young and old people have that make them need disabled seating. Please do not get mad at them and do something that you may regret later because they may not look like they are in pain, or have something horrendous going on.

Renee Paley

A You raise a very valid point. Disabilities are not always obvious. And to all those young or old who yield seats to the disabled and elderly on BART or anywhere else, I salute you.

Q For a few weeks electronic signs have been warning drivers that Crow Canyon Road would have delays Feb. 11-April 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. So far nothing has happened. Do you know what they will be doing and when we should really look for delays?

Coin Richards

Castro Valley

A This week. Work will consist of culvert and roadway reconstruction along various sections of Crow Canyon. Up until now, the contractor has been performing utility work with minimal traffic delays, but this week the culvert work will be under way, and for the next four to six weeks you should expect significant backups.

Q Why is there always water on 101 going south just after passing the 880 overpass? It does not matter if it's raining or not. Could there be a water line leak?

Tom Lovato

A No. Underground water nearby is very close to the surface, and pumps are used to keep most of it from reaching the surface. But some of it always seems to trickle onto the concrete.

Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats or contact him at mrroadshow@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5335.