Whether you call it beautiful landscape, an advertisement or a traffic hazard, a new floral display along I-280 in San Jose is turning heads.
The display went up this week just south of the Winchester Blvd. overpass.
A patch of pansies, marigolds and alyssums are supposed to depict a car driving over a bridge. It's sponsored by Toyota. If you look at the display another way, it looks like a Prius up on a car lift at a repair shop.
Most of the people who catch the view are seeing it at 55 mph, so it's true meaning is missed.
In the first days of the display it caused some slowing of traffic through the area. If that continues, Caltrans says it will address the issue, even if it means getting a rototiller.
There is another display up in Marin County along Highway 101 north of Highway 37. Toyota has eight total across the state. Caltrans is more than happy to let the car company decorate and maintain the land.
The plan was clearly in place before Toyota's massive recall news. The only way you would know that Toyota is behind the flowers is a small sign at the base of the hill -- or if you read this article.
Local
Lori Preuitt finds it puzzling that Caltrans does its darnest to keep up focused on the road when it comes to our cell phones, but then shoves a punch of color in our line of sight along the highway.
