Commuters’ Thoughts Pooled to Speed Flow of Traffic

Dear Readers;

As promised, here are suggestions for traffic planners and other officials that commuters feel would make the drive go easier in 1992. Thanks to those who wrote in.

Dear Street Smart:

As a new resident of Orange County, I am stupefied as to why city planners in many Orange County cities do not put street numbers on street signs. I have never encountered this problem in Los Angeles County. Needless to say, my travels throughout the county are always an adventure, albeit an unwelcome one. I would like to know whom to contact to get this huge oversight resolved. It would make my travels throughout this lovely county much more pleasurable.

Sharon Goldinger, Laguna Hills

You’re not alone in your wish. Street Smart got a letter last month from Peggy Barnes of Mission Viejo talking about the difficulty of locating addresses in South County. A past Street Smart column has also discussed this issue.

As it’s up to each city to adopt rules about signs, lobbying your local city council might get the job done at home. Beyond that, perhaps a call to your state representative might get the situation (pardon the pun) addressed. Who knows? Legislators might also get lost while looking for a street address.

Dear Street Smart:

Here’s an idea for Caltrans. Each day, our car pool rendezvous at a place close to our homes, since it would take too long to pick each other up. We’ve had a problem finding a place to meet. Many major streets don’t allow parking, so we have tried to meet in parking lots. So far, we have been given the boot from two.

Caltrans commuter lots are too few and too inconvenient. Since it is too expensive for the agency to acquire more land, Caltrans should encourage shopping centers with unused spaces to designate a few spots on the outer perimeter as car-pool spaces. These parking spaces would be well-marked and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This taps a large, unused resource at minimal cost. Caltrans could pay for and mark the spaces. Plus, it provides centers with business and good public relations. People already parked in shopping center lots are more apt to patronize the businesses there. I know I do. Why make another stop if there is a grocery store, pharmacy, card shop and even a doughnut shop right there? And by providing spaces, it tells the center’s customers that these merchants are good citizens and are interested in helping to solve a major local problem.

Jeff Feather, Yorba Linda

Dear Street Smart:

Push for people to obey the speed limits. I try to do this--I find that I make stop lights and drive smoothly in traffic (I don’t drive in the left lane, though). If common courtesy would be observed, it would help. Slow down when it rains and when you see a lane closure ahead!

Mary Gaskins, Orange

Dear Street Smart:

The number of traffic signals in Orange County has gotten out of control. If you were to drive on any major street, you’ll encounter a minimum of six to eight traffic signals per mile. The situation is worsened by lights that are not timed efficiently. A contributing factor to the number of lights is the unlimited amount of entrances allowed into and out of retail strip centers and surrounding neighborhoods. Some suggestions include:

* Limit the number of strip entrances.

* Provide only three or four entrances per mile into neighborhoods.

* Build islands to prevent left turns out of retail centers.

* Route neighborhood traffic onto one or two collector streets, and only give those streets signaled access to major arterial streets.

* Implement minimum spacing standards between traffic lights on major arterials.

Abuse of left-turn arrows is another significant problem. It appears that when drivers are in the left-hand turn pocket, they feel they are guaranteed the right to make the turn regardless what color the light is. The best way to solve this problem is enforcement. City police could do random enforcement of the busiest intersections and hit violators with steep fines.

Also, in the future, city and transportation planners should include sidewalks in all new developments, from residential to industrial. In areas where sidewalks were never installed, they should be added.

Many industrial and commercial parks have a limited number of sidewalks. Most traffic engineers feel that sidewalks and bike lanes only take up needed right of way essential for the automobile. However, if you happen to use the bus and have to walk from the bus stop to your place of work, the lack of a sidewalk makes that journey very dangerous and unpleasant. A bicyclist is forced to share an 11- or 12-foot lane with a car going 40 to 50 m.p.h. With the ever-increasing concern over air quality, the automobile should not always be given priority over other modes.

James Konopka and Lee Haber, Tustin and Huntington Beach

Dear Street Smart:

Our Legislature should make sure that the existing laws are enforced regarding the licensing of drivers, the registration of automobiles and the requirement that all cars carry insurance. A joint effort by the Department of Motor Vehicles, the California Highway Patrol and all local police must be made to see that these laws are obeyed. If they are, it’s my guess that there will be a lot more room on the streets and driving will be a lot easier.

Philip E. Arnold, Costa Mesa

Dear Street Smart:

California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Daily said he wants a “kinder, gentler” driver in the New Year. I can second that motion and have been wishing the same ever since I got my driver’s license 12 years ago. I almost gave up driving because I was not prepared for the downright mean attitudes I encountered from other motorists. Arrogant, infantile motorists are in the majority.

Rudeness is not limited to our freeways. A few weeks ago, I drove the scenic route, hoping to relax by escaping the speeding, maddening crowd. Was I in for the ride of my life! A backwoods mountain road surrounded by pine trees sounds relaxing, but I never had a chance to look at the scenery. All I saw in my rear view mirror was a long line of angry, impatient drivers. There were no official turn-outs for at least 2 miles, so I could not pull off.

The posted speed limit was 40 m.p.h., but I was forced to drive 50 to 60 m.p.h. to keep the maniacs happy. An impossible task. When the road widened to a passing lane, I kindly and gently moved over to the right to let my fellow human beings pass. Was I appreciated for this noble gesture of consideration? No sir! I was cursed at, fists shaken at me, and my vehicle was almost sideswiped.

An arrogant driver and his bullying tactics proves only to be a loser with an inferiority complex and a coward, in that it requires absolutely no courage to speed and cut in front unnecessarily . It takes tremendous courage to be a kind and gentle driver when all around are behaving just the opposite. For a refreshing, healing change of attitude, we must strive to be unique winners by exhibiting respect for our laws and each other on our highways. We have tried the other way too long, and it has been killing us.

Joyce Char, Fountain Valley

Dear Street Smart:

There are a number of drivers who do not need to use the freeway but do so for convenience. How to keep them off? Offer an incentive. On request, provide them with a special license plate which prohibits that car from using the freeway. In return, the vehicle registration fee would be halved. This could provide the reduction that we need.

No doubt this plan would be frowned on by the state, which needs revenue. How about a slight increase in fees to offset the losses? Freeway users would be willing to accept it, if it solved our congestion.

Out-of-state drivers would be exempt, and for the times someone must use a freeway, they could buy a special dated window sticker from any gas station.

H.G. (Oscar) Gibson, Huntington Beach