Have Speed Demons Been Given Free Reign by the CHP?

Dear Street Smart:

In the decade or so that I have lived in Orange County, I have seen speeds on the freeways creep upward gradually. In the last couple of years, all restraints seem to have been lifted.

When I commute north on the San Diego Freeway in the morning, the average speed is 75 m.p.h. I don’t consider myself prudish, but I have a problem when the average speed exceeds the posted speed by better than 20 m.p.h. Some drivers have no top limit on their speed, so speeds in excess of 85 or 90 m.p.h. are no longer uncommon.

This is a dangerous situation. What happened to enforcement by the California Highway Patrol? It seems that they have abdicated their responsibility to enforce the laws. It’s obvious that everyone out there knows they will not be cited for speeding. I’m just wondering if there was a policy decision made somewhere not to enforce the speed limit.

Faulkner White

Irvine

You’ve got to get up pretty early to find the freeway flowing freely enough to permit folks to roar along at 75 m.p.h. Most times I get trapped on the San Diego Freeway in the morning, it seems more sardine tin than roadway.

But during those rare moments when the roadway is clear, something seems to overtake many motorists. Highway Patrol officers say they see it all the time. It’s as if all that smooth, shimmering pavement triggers a psychological reaction. The pulse races, the ankle locks and the foot stomps down on the accelerator. It is, the mind reasons, the big chance to make up for all those hours locked axle-to-axle with the idling hordes.

Officials at the Highway Patrol, as one might expect, say they remain ever vigilant and on the lookout for such speed demons. There have been no policy shifts regarding enforcement, authorities say. Week in, week out, the black-and-whites are out there trying to enforce the speed limit, and they’re writing more tickets than ever before.

In 1987, the CHP wrote about 59,000 tickets for speeding and other violations in central Orange County, according to Officer Linda Burrus, a Highway Patrol spokeswoman in Santa Ana. By 1989, the total rose to nearly 76,000, and it’s on pace for 1990 to top that, she said.

Burrus credits an increased number of patrol officers for the rise in number of tickets being issued. And there are still lots of speeders who get away. “We are out there,” she said. “But we’re not able to get everyone. It seems when we’re on the side of the road writing a ticket, everyone thinks it’s a signal they can go fast for a few miles.”

Dear Street Smart:

I read your column about riding in bike lanes (May 2). While I have never seen anyone parking a car in them, I’ve seen cars driven in bike lanes.

Here’s where danger lurks for bike riders: They quite often ride too far out away from the curbside, pedaling along and not looking back, leaving the worry about getting hit to the approaching car.

This gets scary when the bike rider swishes in and out and around parked cars. I’ve had to worry about swerving away and into the lane next to me. Approaching the bike rider at 40 m.p.h. and then braking to slow down with cars behind is asking for trouble.

Part of the problem is I’m left wondering what the bike rider is going to do next. Most bike riders I’ve seen using busy streets are showoffs who want attention. Maybe they should use unoccupied sidewalks.

Paul Simone

Anaheim

I’d like to point out the number of bicycle riders who ride the white line in a bike lane, exposing themselves to some maladjusted goon in a car who is out to “teach a lesson.”

I think it’s just lack of awareness. Consider Newland Avenue in Huntington Beach. With the narrow lanes and cars side by side, it’s tough to get past a bicyclist.

A. Bagdasarian

Huntington Beach

Erratic cyclists can surely create problems for motorists. But it’s important to remember that a bicyclist has rights on the roadway too.

Because of the nature of balancing on a bicycle, it’s dangerous for riders to turn around to check traffic behind them. Motorists should be aware that a cyclist is often unaware of their approach. One should approach a biker with caution and courtesy.

Yes, cyclists often ride far out from the curb, but they may have good reason for doing so. If the pavement on the side of the road is broken up or glass is sprinkled around, a cyclist may have to edge out from the shoulder.

Of course, there are some cyclists who act like they own the roadway, riding out in traffic even though the shoulder is in perfect shape. And a motorist occasionally will come across huge packs of cyclists spinning along on a Saturday morning taking up a whole lane of traffic.

In these cases, it’s best to keep your cool and wait for a chance to get around safely. Standing on the horn typically doesn’t help much of anything but could cause a cyclist to swerve and take a spill.

Obviously, bike lanes separated from city streets are the best answer, but they are few and far between. Sidewalks might seem like an appropriate place for bikes, but riding there is not permitted by law.

So the uneasy coexistence of bikes and cars will continue. The best approach for both cyclists and motorists is to obey the rules of the road, practice courtesy and be patient.

So you thought Street Smart wasn’t read in high places? Guess again.

It seems that Assemblyman Richard Katz, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Transportation, saw a letter from one of our readers suggesting that the Department of Motor Vehicles establish a toll-free hot line for people to report unregistered vehicles. Such vehicles each year account for millions of dollars in unpaid fees--money that goes for roads and to the Highway Patrol and other programs.

Katz sent a letter on March 26 to A.A. Pierce, director of the state Department of Motor Vehicles, suggesting that such a phone line could provide results similar to those of the popular (800) CUT-SMOG line established by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The DMV is currently considering the idea.