Commuter Lanes on 55 to Have New Dividers : Caltrans to Try Blue Stripes, Pylons, Reflective Dots in Effort to Solve Illegal Crossing Problem

Responding to complaints that yellow striping does not keep motorists from illegally crossing into commuter lanes on the Costa Mesa Freeway, Caltrans officials said Monday that they will try blue striping, nine-inch pylons and reflector dots along parts of the freeway to see if they help.

At the same time, state and county officials said they will seek additional money for “blitz-type enforcement” from the California Highway Patrol to assure that the commuter lanes are used only by automobiles with two or more occupants.

“I think we need to get the message out that we mean business on enforcement of those lanes,” said Orange Mayor James H. Beam, chairman of a citizens’ committee that will advise Caltrans in February whether to continue restricting the lanes to buses and car poolers or open them up to all freeway travelers.

New Barrier Experiments

The new barrier experiments, scheduled for implementation over the next few weeks, come in response to concerns that motorists illegally crossing the six-inch yellow stripes that now separate the lanes create a safety hazard, particularly during rush hours when car-pool traffic is whizzing by slower traffic in adjacent lanes.

“While we’re encouraged with the operation (of the lanes) to date, we think there’s some room for improvement,” said Caltrans District Director Donald Watson.

The agency plans to set up two test areas along as-yet-undesignated sections of the freeway and change the stripe color on both of them from yellow to another color, probably blue.

That should make it clear that the barrier is not simply another lane, said David Roper, deputy director of operations for Caltrans’ Los Angeles district. “All of this is really a communication to the public to clarify the intended operation of that lane,” he said. “More specifically, that there is a buffer area, albeit only one-foot wide, that you should not cross, except at designated locations.”

On one test area, Caltrans plans to install nine-inch-high flexible plastic pylons at intervals of 100 to 200 feet to see if they discourage motorists from crossing into or out of the commuter lanes at other than designated entrances and exits, Roper said.

The pylons would be shorter than the 32-inch ones now in use on the El Monte Busway on the San Bernardino Freeway, which Roper said have been “a major maintenance problem” because they often become caught and torn in bumpers and grilles. The nine-inch pylons should not be as much of a problem and will simply bounce back if motorists run over them, he said.

Raised Reflective Dots

On the other test section of the freeway, Caltrans will install raised reflective dots, three abreast, at intervals along the commuter lane barrier, again to make the barriers more visible and to discourage illegal crossings.

But a spokesman for a citizens’ group opposed to the commuter lanes said neither the pylons nor the reflector dots will really discourage motorists who want to cross into or out of the lanes.

“I think they’re still trying to figure out some Band-Aid solutions, and I don’t think either one of them would be a permanent solution to that freeway problem at all,” said Joe Catron, president of Drivers for Highway Safety.

“The motorists are angry now, and I think it’s time they just put a halt to it and just made it four lanes for all people,” Catron said.

The group has scheduled a rally at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Next week, members will be standing at Costa Mesa Freeway off-ramps to distribute red banners as part of a demonstration in which motorists opposed to the commuter lanes will be asked to fly the banners and turn on their headlights while driving down the freeway.

Caltrans officials said they will also comply with Beam’s request to seek additional money to step up CHP enforcement on the freeway, particularly during peak hours, to prevent single-occupant cars from using the commuter lanes. However, it is unclear how much money will be available and how quickly, Watson said.

A final change proposed by Caltrans to reduce confusion is to allow motorists to either enter or exit the lanes at access points that are now restricted to either entrance only or exit only.

Longer Trial Period

The county Transportation Commission is to make a final recommendation March 10 whether to continue operation of the lanes for car pools only, based on the advice of the citizens’ committee. However, Beam has already said he will seek a longer trial period before the final decision is made.

The state’s nine-week evaluation of the commuter lanes show that many concerns over their operation may be unfounded.

The average number of accidents along the freeway has been 23 per week, compared to an average of 25 per week for the two months before the commuter lanes opened, Caltrans figures show. The accident rate has declined to an average of 18 per week since the holidays, the report said.

The report also showed that there was an increase during the holiday period in the number of one-occupant cars using the commuter lanes illegally but that violations are hovering at about 7% now, comparable to other car-pool-lane experiments.

The commuter lanes are now carrying 3,000 people one-way during the morning rush hour, Caltrans said, estimating that they could handle only 2,000 if they were available to all traffic.