Idea to Stop Wrong-Way Drivers Has a Few Holes in It
Dear Street Smart:
Lately, the news has been staggering regarding the wrong-way deaths on the Southland’s freeways. I have an idea. Why not install steel spikes on the off-ramps, the type used in parking lots. Four flat tires are better than four dead people.
Bill Sanchez, Garden Grove
Using steel spikes in the ground to pop the tires of would-be wrong-way drivers is a common suggestion that comes up when these sort of accidents occur, according to Caltrans spokesman Albert Miranda.
It certainly does seem to be a safe and efficient way to prevent such tragedies. However, there is a chance that the spike gates could fail and damage the tires of traffic crossing from the proper direction. If the spikes don’t recede under the weight of car tires, as designed, they could actually cause accidents rather than prevent them.
The chances of failure are magnified when you consider that thousands of cars would pass over these off-ramp gates at high speeds, rather than the relatively few, slow-moving cars that pass over similar gates in parking lots.
Instead of gates, Caltrans relies on signs at off-ramps to stop wrong-way drivers. Huge reflective signs tell cars if they are going the wrong way. Also, the bumps on freeway lanes glow red for cars heading in the wrong direction, rather than the usual blue or white colors. You can see this on days when the sun is setting in front of you, making the bumps red in your rearview mirror.
Overall, wrong-way drivers are a rare occurrence on the freeways, Miranda said. Spike gates present more chance of causing accidents than preventing them. But if other safer deterrents become available, the department will make use of them, he said.
Dear Street Smart:
Most of us proletarians have a house number on our humble dwellings. Why is it whenever I go down a main boulevard, these numbers aren’t there on buildings, stores, filling stations, etc. When I do find a number, will the next one be higher or lower? And when I’m in another hamlet, there are different sets of numbers. By the time I find the address, an 18-wheeler is behind me jamming on the brakes.
D. Elston, Anaheim
Finding those addresses in business districts can be a pain, and it seems that’s because the public has never declared it a problem that needs correcting.
In general, it’s only police departments and fire departments that occasionally lobby for clear, visible addresses, according to planners and other officials.
For example, the Huntington Beach Fire Department was instrumental in getting an addressing code written that requires new and remodeled buildings to have numbers visible from the street.
“It’s getting more standardized,” said Battalion Chief Steve Parker. “Even though it’s only a few seconds (saved), it’s valuable time when there is an emergency.”
But more than likely, in Orange County and elsewhere in the state, you’ll have to search to find addresses in business districts. Cities create their own rules about signage and street numbering, and it doesn’t appear to be a planning priority to make addresses more visible.
For some immediate solutions to the problem, here are some tips that may prove helpful, many that you no doubt follow already:
* Streets almost always have odd- and even-numbered sides. The last digit of any address will tell you immediately which side you are on.
* Street numbers almost always increase in one direction and decrease in the other. Find any two addresses, and you can quickly tell which way you are headed.
* Street numbers may change completely when you cross city boundaries. If a drastic change in numbering doesn’t clue you in, often cities have distinctive street signs.
* Block numbers usually change by hundreds. For example, you’ll be driving past the 10500 block of a main boulevard, cross a side street, then be on the 10600 block. If there are no cross streets to delineate a block, a standard distance such as a quarter-mile may be used to increase the block number.
* Block numbers are often indicated at intersections. Check for street signs on a post with a number. If you are really lucky, the number may be on an overhanging sign, with an arrow indicating if the street numbers are going up or down.
Of course, nothing will beat having a cross street to get you to your destination quickly. And if you are having difficulty finding an address, take a moment and pull into a business complex to get your bearings. No sense getting that 18-wheeler any more irritated.
For a permanent solution, contact your planning department or city council. The frustration of trying to find a street address in your city may never have been raised as an issue before.
Who knows what may follow. “His city could start a precedent that all the rest in the county could follow,” said Collette Morse, who heads the Orange section of the American Planning Assn.
Dear Street Smart:
I am disheartened to see the graffiti damage being inflicted on the sound walls along the San Diego Freeway, especially in the Costa Mesa-Westminster corridor, which I travel daily. I know that it is a costly problem, but I feel aggressive action in both cleanup and law enforcement is needed to prevent the freeways from looking like trash. What agencies are responsible for graffiti removal and law enforcement in these cases, and how can they be contacted? What action can citizens take to combat this problem?
David Goss, Costa Mesa
You’ve pinpointed the precise location of the county’s worst freeway graffiti, which has been on the increase over the past six months, according to John Schilstra, regional maintenance manager for Caltrans in Orange County.
Most of the graffiti is done by “taggers,” youths who like to spray their names for others to see, Schilstra said. Little of it is related to gangs, which mark territory with graffiti. A 17-year-old suspected of being a tagger was killed about two weeks ago on the San Diego Freeway in Seal Beach.
If you spot someone in the process of spray-painting graffiti along the freeways, you should call the California Highway Patrol, said Officer Juan Alfaro. You can use the freeway call boxes to do so but don’t try to stop the spray-painters yourself, Alfaro said. The CHP will dispatch officers immediately, as keeping people off the freeway is a priority.
For graffiti removal, call the 24-hour Caltrans dispatch at (714) 724-2607. Obscene graffiti will be removed immediately. Other graffiti will be left to be cleaned as part of a regular freeway-to-freeway rotation, which may mean a week or so wait. But crews will remove it quickly because one tag seems to attract others, Schilstra said.
