CHP Officers on Cycles Now Patrol California 78

California 78 has been referred to as a 17-mile-long parking lot. During rush hour, or whenever there is an accident on the highway, driving is reduced to a crawl.

Responding to the increasing congestion, the California Highway Patrol in Oceanside has assigned motorcycle officers to monitor traffic from Oceanside to Escondido on California 78.

The officers are more flexible in moving through traffic on motorcycles than in patrol cars, Officer Len Schroeder said. The first motorcycle officer began patrolling in August, and four more have been added. Another officer will be assigned to the highway soon.

It had been 15 years since CHP motorcycle officers patrolled North County highways. They were taken off in 1974 because of a high injury rate, Schroeder said.

The deployment of motorcycles is up to the commander in each CHP district. They are widely used in Los Angeles and San Diego.

“It’s a hazardous job,” Schroeder said. “You never know when a car will pull out in front of an officer. When an officer falls on a bike, it’s not the same as having the protection of a car.”

He said the officers have to go to California Highway Patrol Academy in Sacramento for two weeks of intensive training.

“We have a 70% failure rate at the academy, with most flunking out the first week,” Schroeder said.

The training begins with the basics. The officers have to learn the parts of the motorcycle and are taught how to ride slowly before being trained on a high-speed track.

The five officers rotate on a split shift, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. They will also patrol unincorporated roads adjoining their beat.

Once a relatively uncrowded route, California 78 has in recent years become North County’s most congested highway. In 1987, $15 million in federal funds was allocated to widen the east-west highway from four to six lanes along a 17-mile stretch from Oceanside to Escondido, at a total cost of more than $30 million.

Schroeder said construction on the highway has shrunk the road and contributed to the traffic congestion.

Since 1983, traffic volume has increased 73% on California 78, and accidents have increased by 200%. Because of booming growth, the number of cars using the highway peaks at 113,000 daily in some areas, Schroeder said. The road is designed to handle 65,000 cars a day.