Screens Would Help Prevent Being Driven to Distraction

Dear Street Smart:

I would like to see our freeway dividers fitted with five-foot or six-foot fences that would block the view of the opposite side of the freeway. The fences would accomplish two purposes:

One, drivers’ attention wouldn’t be drawn to distractions such as fender benders or police activities on the opposite side of the freeway, so there would be no gawkers to cause long backups--or worse!

Two, on most level stretches of freeway, the fences would block the glare of oncoming headlights, thus making night driving a little safer.

Joe Heydon, Huntington Beach

You’ve probably seen a lot of these “gawk” screens, as they are called, along the freeways where construction work is underway. But until recently, it hasn’t seemed practical to install the barriers permanently.

The problem has been that gawk screens are hard to maintain, Caltrans officials say. For example, those made of metal mesh may come loose and flap in the breeze--providing a distraction of their own.

There may be hope, however.

An experimental screen in place along one mile of the Ventura Freeway in the San Fernando Valley has proved successful, so far. The “screen” is a regular concrete median barrier that has been made taller. It stands about 4 1/2 feet high. And it has won over at least one engineer who believed it would fail.

“When I first saw it, I had my doubts about it. I thought, ‘This will never work,’ ” said state Department of Transportation engineer Jim McAllister, who is overseeing improvements along the Ventura Freeway.

McAllister figured that the taller median barrier would be unable to withstand occasional impacts from errant cars. Yet after 1 1/2 years, it’s doing great, he said. Plus, it blocks views of the opposite side of the freeway better than other screens he’s seen used.

“There’s no way you can see through it, unless you are Superman or something,” McAllister said.

Whether more of the barriers spring up depends on each local Caltrans office. There are no plans to install them along Orange County freeways, according to the local Caltrans office. Motorists who favor the idea should let the office know.

McAllister certainly gives them his support.

“I agree with your reader 100%. I really think if you put more of these up, we’d have less tie-ups on the freeways,” he said.

The curious can see the concrete gawk screen along the Ventura Freeway, between White Oak Avenue and Reseda Boulevard.

As for headlight problems, Caltrans does install “glare” screens in places where they are required to for safety reasons. Again, you should let Caltrans know if there are places that seem to need them.

Dear Street Smart:

Several months ago, a left-turn arrow was installed for Rose Drive, where it intersects Imperial Highway in Placentia. This has caused heavy congestion on Imperial during peak travel times. I now spend at least five minutes attempting to get through Rose. Can the timing of the traffic signals be adjusted? Imperial has much more traffic than Rose, yet timing appears to be the same for each street.

Susan E. Stella, Yorba Linda

Imperial Highway should be receiving the most time at that intersection, according to Caltrans electrical engineer Tom Le. Though Le hasn’t heard of congestion problems on Imperial there, he’s going to double-check the timing to make certain that all is well.

There has been some trouble with that new left-turn signal on the southbound side of Rose, however. Crews had to slice through the signal’s sensor cables as part of the ongoing work to expand the intersection. Without sensors, the turn signal is less responsive to traffic demands.

By this week, the sensors should be back on line. In fact, things should be radically different there. The following changes are being made because of a new development going in on the northwest corner of the intersection, according to Caltrans:

* The northbound side of Rose, south of Imperial, will have two left-turn lanes, instead of one. There will also be a new right-turn only lane, leading to Imperial.

* The southbound side of Rose, north of Imperial, will also gain an additional left-turn lane and a new right-turn-only lane. This right-turn-only lane will not require cars to stop.

Give it a week or so, and see if things improve. If the signals still seem inefficient, then give Caltrans a call back. With luck, you’ll have smooth sailing.

Dear Street Smart:

The new Newport Coast Drive is great--until you come to its northern end at MacArthur Boulevard in Irvine. Turning right, there is only one lane, which almost immediately leads into University Drive. If you want to stay on MacArthur, you have to fight your way through onrushing traffic on the left. Very difficult and dangerous!

Robert A. Bernay, Laguna Beach

That portion of Newport Coast Drive (the former Bonita Canyon Drive) is to be replaced by the San Joaquin Hills tollway, according to Caltrans and tollway officials. When that happens, a new ramp would take you from the tollway to MacArthur without the headaches you’re experiencing now, they say. But until then--the summer of 1996 at the earliest--the existing setup will remain unchanged.

In the meantime, tollway engineer Gene Foster recommends that you take your time merging into MacArthur. Wait behind the yield sign at the end of the right-turn lane until there is a gap in traffic. Because of the signal at MacArthur, one should almost certainly occur, he said. Although traffic from behind might pressure you to move forward, Foster reminded that you’re allowed to stop behind a yield sign and move forward when it is safe.