Bottom Line on Crossing White Lines at Intersections: It’s Illegal

Several readers responded last week to my answer to Steve Schmidt, who had asked about solid white lines. It seemed the only person who didn’t contact me was Schmidt himself.

He had wanted to know if it was legal to cross solid white lines near intersections. After poring over the California Vehicle Code and talking to the Department of Motor Vehicle experts in Sacramento, I said it was illegal to cross limit lines and crosswalks without stopping first.

Here is one of the letters I received last week informing me that I was on the wrong track.

Dear Street Smart:

I am not sure you addressed the issue Steve Schmidt meant to raise about crossing solid white lines, such as those near intersections. You took him to mean limit lines, those which run perpendicular to the direction of traffic. I believe he meant lane markings--the solid white lines that run parallel to the direction of traffic. Such a single white line is often used to set off a left-turn lane from the other lanes on that side of the street. The reason I think this is what he meant is that I have been warned by an Irvine policeman about crossing such a single, solid white line on the right side of a left-turn lane, even under safe conditions.

So what’s the scoop? What’s legal here?

William J. Evans Fullerton Let’s try this again.

“It is illegal to change lanes within 100 feet of an intersection, and that would include going across solid white lines,” said Steve Kohler, a spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento.

In other words, if you miss the opening to the left-turn lane, you may not then turn into the lane by driving over the solid white line.

You also may not cross a white line designating a bicycle lane.

Dear Street Smart:

Without arguing the merits of car-pool lanes or the numbers of drivers who routinely use them, it is pretty obvious that the establishment of such lanes has created a whole host of complications. For example:

1. Numerous drivers ignore the exit and entrance lanes, routinely crossing double and quadruple yellow lane stripes as the flow of traffic dictates. I wonder if this is classified as a car-pool lane violation or simply a basic lane violation. It ought to be the former with stiff fines imposed.

2. Perhaps a solution to the above problem would be to install a raised divider separating the car-pool lane from the fast lane, high enough to discourage anyone driving at freeway speed from crossing over, but negotiable in the case of emergency vehicles or lane closures due to accidents etc.

3. I don’t know what is to be done about car-pool-eligible motorists entering the freeway and then trying to make a beeline for the car-pool lane across three or four lanes of traffic on a priority basis as if they anticipate that other cars will part for them. Perhaps better signing is the answer.

4. As anyone who uses the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway after 3 p.m. well knows, there is terrible congestion at the Costa Mesa/Santa Ana Freeway interchange. It is also quite clear that the car-pool exit for the people who want to get on the northbound Santa Ana Freeway is far too close to the Santa Ana Freeway on-ramp. Vehicles are bumper-to-bumper five lanes across (McFadden dumps in on the right at the same point). The California Department of Transportation should take a look at moving the five exits back toward Edinger. If you want to see something really exciting, it’s a tour bus exiting for the northbound Santa Ana Freeway at 4 p.m. It appears there’s an easy correction available.

Chauncey L. Benedict Santa Ana Let’s take this one step at a time.

Step one: A lane violation involving a car-pool lane is considered both a car-pool violation and a moving violation, said Joe El Harake, car-pool coordinator for Caltrans.

The fine for a car-pool violation alone ranges from $271 for the first offense to $1,351 for a third offense. Caltrans believes these fines are significant enough to minimize violations, El Harake said.

Step two, physical barriers: Caltrans does recognize the benefits of installing a physical barrier between the car-pool and fast lanes, but the cost as well as right-of-way constraints preclude that option, El Harake said.

Step three, the beeline problem: Caltrans designs the car-pool lanes to give people sufficient distance to get there without darting across traffic, El Harake said. But the agency cannot control human behavior. Caltrans has also added two new design features that will allow cars to exit the freeway from the car-pool lane without crossing other lanes. These new design features are direct connectors and drop ramps.

Step four, the clog: El Harake said Caltrans is aware of the congestion at the Costa Mesa/Santa Ana Freeway interchange, which is due to both construction and the fact that demand exceeds the interchange’s capacity.

Part of the construction project--the car-pool lane connector--eventually will help to alleviate the congestion, he said. The connector can be identified by the tall concrete pillars in the median of the freeway. Direct connectors will allow commuters to travel from the Costa Mesa Freeway car-pool lane directly to the Santa Ana Freeway car-pool lane without going across any other lanes.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to Caroline Lemke, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.