If Freeway Ramp Meters Act Out of Sync, Call Caltrans

Dear Street Smart: With the current energy crisis, it has become obvious that the value of metered on-ramps is even more dubious than with cheap energy. This becomes even more apparent when those devices are poorly adjusted.

One example is the meter off MacArthur Boulevard onto the southbound San Diego Freeway. Every workday morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., drivers are forced to come to a complete stop and wait at this meter to enter a virtually empty freeway.

This obviously wastes time, energy and brake pads. Is there any ongoing program to review the timing of these meters?

An interesting solution to this problem might be to have the phone number of the individual specifically responsible for the timing of each traffic control device clearly posted. If no one person is specifically responsible, such assignments should be made.

Kenneth L. Robinson Costa Mesa Some interesting points. But state transportation officials have a ready reply: Freeway traffic would slow even more--and even more gas would be burned--if the ramp meters were pulled out.

Most of the meters are triggered by wire “loops” in the pavement that electronically determine the volume of freeway traffic and adjust the signals accordingly. By permitting only one or two motorists into the traffic at a time, the meters help keep the freeway from clogging like a river crammed with too many logs.

Caltrans officials know of no studies comparing the gas expended by motorists stopped at the meters versus what might be burned if the meters were yanked out. They reason, however, that far more fuel is saved with the meters in place.

The situation at the MacArthur Boulevard on-ramp may simply reflect a ramp meter working the way it is supposed to--regulating the huge volume of traffic pouring off the street so it does not cause hopeless gridlock on the interstate. But transportation officials plan to check the meter to determine if something is amiss.

Albert Miranda, a Caltrans spokesman, said the agency has five traffic engineers in Orange County who continually review the performance of the ramp meters and adjust them as needed.

He said the agency has rejected the idea of putting up placards with a phone number for complaints, citing the cost of the signs--upwards of $150 apiece--and a feeling that most motorists are hardly in a position to write down or remember a telephone number as they pull onto a freeway.

Instead, he recommends flipping open the phone book and looking up Caltrans under the government listings. Calls are welcomed.

Dear Street Smart:

In your Sept. 9 column containing a complaint from a motorist about his traffic ticket in Irvine, you avoided the revenue aspect of “traffic officers.” Although not as bad as speed traps, motorcycle officers are out there for the money. Above 90% of all tickets are paid without trial.

L. Lockwood Stanton Let’s face it, traffic tickets have been a topic of debate ever since the days of the Model T. State law prohibits operating a quota system for handing out tickets but more than one motorist has wondered if police departments were bending that rule to feed the city coffers.

At the state level, California Highway Patrol officials say the department gets no benefit from the citations its officers hand out. All the agency’s revenue comes from vehicle license fees, and the ticket money trickles down to the cities and counties.

It’s a different story with municipal police, who get a fair percentage of their own operating funds from tickets. But local law officers are quick to reject any speculation that they write more tickets to make extra money.

“During my tenure, we’ve never been put in the position that we have to generate more revenue with traffic tickets,” said Lt. Al Muir of the Irvine police traffic bureau.

Muir said the department stays abreast of how many tickets a member of the traffic division is writing but only to keep track of the officer’s “work product.”

He also noted that handing out a ticket does not necessarily mean that a city is going to receive any money. Many motorists fight the citation or have the fine waived by a judge in exchange for attending traffic school, he said.