Commuter Complaints Often Trigger Needed Action

In their meanderings, motorists sometimes come across traffic equipment that isn’t working and dutifully report it to the proper authorities. And sometimes that’s like the recurrent engine problem that always disappears whenever you try to explain it to a mechanic.

That’s what happened when Rob Kelly of Laguna Beach contacted Street Smart about two Santa Ana Freeway ramp meters that were failing to turn green--one at Fortune Street and the other at Alton Parkway.

According to Caltrans, an operations engineer monitored the two locations during peak hours recently and found no defect. But the meters will be checked from time to time just to make sure.

Nice try.

As you can see from the following letter, complaints from commuters often lead to corrective action.

Dear Street Smart:

I take many trips to our new John Wayne Airport, and almost every time I approach the airport by driving south on the (San Diego Freeway) and exiting at MacArthur Boulevard.

The first sign is a small one indicating I am on the way to the airport. Then, as we circle the off-ramp, we find that the right lane leads to the airport and northbound (lanes) on MacArthur. Next we have large arrows indicating two lanes straight ahead to the airport. Finally, when one looks up there are overhead signs that indicate only one lane straight ahead and two lanes that turn south on MacArthur.

There is probably no way to separate the northbound MacArthur lane from the airport lane, but please, can’t they get their arrows and overhead signs to agree with each other?”

Dan Connelly, Santa Ana

You’ve scored a direct hit. Caltrans investigated your complaint and agrees with you. Through a spokesperson, Harry Brown of Caltrans’ Traffic Management Department said he will determine what changes are needed and then will schedule implementation.

Dear Street Smart:

The northbound traffic “flow” on Moulton Parkway is impeded by misplaced signing and mis-marked lanes.

Approaching the intersection with El Toro Road, the right-hand lane is signed for a turn only into Willow Tree Center. Few drivers use the lane for this, instead using it as a short cut to the corner, creating a danger to drivers abiding by the signing and merging right farther down. Omitting the obligation to turn into the center might eliminate some of the confusion.

At the intersection with Lake Forest, a sign indicates that the right lane must turn right. However some drivers continue straight. Since approximately two years were spent widening Irvine Center Drive, which Moulton changes into, it is bewildering to see three lanes squeeze to two at this intersection.

Also, I thought Moulton was supposed to be a “super-street,” with traffic signals synchronized to facilitate the flow of traffic. Turning left from Glenwood Drive onto Moulton in the mornings is difficult, if not impossible, due to the back flow of traffic.

Gerald Frad, Aliso Viejo

Let’s start as you do with the El Toro Road and Moulton Parkway intersection. Grant Anderson, an Orange County traffic engineer, looked into the problem there. He said the situation should clear itself up in the next few months when street widening work finishes at that intersection. When done, Moulton will get a third through-traffic lane. That should make it easier for all cars to reach the corner, eliminating the need for drivers to try to make a shortcut out of that shopping center turn lane, Anderson explained.

The news is also hopeful for the bottleneck you are finding when Moulton Parkway changes to Irvine Center Drive and loses a traffic lane in the process. Irvine is planning to widen Irvine Center Drive, with construction set to begin in October, 1992, according to city transportation engineer Barry Greenstein. Work should finish the following summer, in August, 1993, Greenstein said. That’s a year away--but at least the plans are underway.

Instant action resulted from your signal problem on Glenwood Drive. The signal was reset to give more green time to drivers turning from Glenwood when sensors detect a queue of cars, according to the county’s signal operations supervisor, Ron Keith. If there are few cars turning from Glenwood, then Moulton gets a quicker signal--and less delays.

By the way, Moulton’s not a super-street yet. That involves parking bans, bus turnouts and other work in addition to synchronization. Moulton is slated to become a super-street in the future. In the meantime, the street is synchronized widely from Irvine to Dana Point. The county and the city of Irvine just completed linking their signal systems to help make this so, Keith said.

Keith also pointed out that synchronization will only be done during the morning and evening peak periods instead of throughout the day as had been occurring in some places. The county found traffic will move better during off-peak times if the signals are left to respond to local traffic demands, he said.