Saratoga Driving School

Driving in Saratoga: What New Drivers Should Know

The town keeps a semi-rural look. Most residential streets have no street lights or sidewalks. On residential collector streets, walkers and cyclists often share the road with cars. Most elementary schools sit on residential streets without continuous sidewalks. Highway 9 climbs west as a winding two-lane road. Highway 85 is the only freeway. There is no passenger rail, but freight trains cross several local roads at grade.

• Highway 85 at Saratoga Avenue

  This is the only Highway 85 interchange in the city. The freeway runs below grade through much of town. On weekdays between 5 and 9 a.m. and between 3 and 7 p.m., the left lane is for cars with two or more people.

• Cox Avenue and the Union Pacific crossing

  Cox Avenue crosses a Union Pacific freight track at grade, with gates and flashing lights. Stop at least 15 feet from the nearest track when a train is coming. Wait until the red lights stop flashing, even if the gate rises.

• Congress Springs Road

  Highway 9 comes down from the mountains into town as Congress Springs Road. It is a winding two-lane road. Uphill, it meets Skyline Boulevard at the summit after a steep climb. Many cyclists climb the seven miles from the Village on weekend mornings.

• Highway 9 at Fruitvale Avenue

  At Fruitvale Avenue, Highway 9 briefly becomes a four-lane road with a large center divider. It drops back to two lanes as it enters Monte Sereno. This stretch has bike lanes and flashing beacons at some crosswalks.

• Bohlman Road

  The city lists it as a hillside street with narrow lanes and slower speeds. There is typically no room for separate sidewalks or bike lanes. If two cars meet on a steep, narrow road and neither can pass, the car facing uphill has the right-of-way.

Highway 85 is good practice for freeway merging and lane changes. Cox Avenue is good practice for railroad crossings. The Highway 9 lane drop at Monte Sereno is good merging practice. Congress Springs and Bohlman roads suit hill driving. Pass cyclists there only with at least three feet of space.