Any Size Motorcycle Should Be Able to Trigger Left-Turn Arrow

Dear Street Smart:

I’ve got two questions for you. First, I’ve noticed at the intersection of Jamboree Road and Canyon View Avenue in the city of Orange that when I’m on my motorcycle, I can’t trigger the left-turn arrow.

I’ve had this happen at other intersections also. Is there a certain weight these triggering devices are set to? If so, why are they set so that a motorcycle can’t trigger it?

My second question concerns the crosswalk at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Anaheim on North Lakeview Avenue just north of Riverdale Avenue. Are there any plans to put a walkover bridge in that area?

With that crosswalk as it stands now, it not only causes a backup of traffic during the peak hours, it also seems to be a risk to the people trying to get to the hospital from the parking lot across the street.

Rich Koester

Orange

The left-turn pockets of all Orange intersections are equipped with sensor loops that should detect the presence of even the smallest motorcycle, said Dennis Schmitz, senior traffic operations engineer for the city of Orange.

A sensor loop, a coiled wire embedded in the street, picks up on the size of a vehicle rather than the weight. The way you are positioning your motorcycle in the left-turn lane may have something to do with why the light won’t activate, Schmitz said. If you situate your motorcycle directly over the sensor loop, or if you pull your motorcycle up to the limit line in the middle of the lane, the left arrow should activate, he said.

Unless a street has been repaved, you can see the cuts in the pavement where the sensor loop lies.

If you have done all this, and you are still not getting results, Schmitz suggests that you contact him at Orange’s traffic engineering department at (714) 532-6427. He or one of his staff would be glad to go with you to the intersection to see if you need to do anything more or if the sensor is not working.

Regarding your second question, there were plans to build a pedestrian bridge linking Kaiser Foundation Hospital to the parking structure, said Donna Donan, director of public affairs for Kaiser Permanente. The bridge is part of a planned expansion of the whole hospital campus, she said.

But all of the plans are on hold indefinitely, Donan said, because the hospital’s income has fallen below expectations.

Dear Street Smart:

How about a word for bicycle commuters? The southbound West Coast Highway in Newport Beach between Tustin Avenue and Dover Drive has just been squeezed into two lanes adjacent to the curbing due to construction.

There is no bicycle lane! There is fast auto traffic here. This construction project has been a nightmare for auto traffic, also, for the past six months.

I understand the city of Newport Beach is doing this project?

Hugo V. Schmidt

Newport Beach

Because it is a state highway, Caltrans is responsible for the construction on Coast Highway. And relief is almost in sight.

Work should be completed by the first week in June, said Caltrans spokeswoman Rose Orem. There will be a bicycle lane when the project is all paved, she said.

Dear Street Smart:

I was traveling west on MacArthur Boulevard in Irvine, in the early evening, crossing over the San Diego (405) Freeway to access the on-ramp heading south. When the green arrow indicator flashed, I proceeded on to what I perceived was the south on-ramp only to find myself almost into the off-ramp.

The “wrong way” sign was not at the very corner of this exit route.

Since both routes are next to each other, it would prevent this from happening if “wrong way” signs were placed clearly facing traffic at this exit point. Placing green “enter” signs at the entrance of the south access ramp would also avoid any costly error.

Dan Levine

Mission Viejo

Caltrans sees no reason to change the existing signs, said Rose Orem of Caltrans.

There is a sign alerting drivers to the upcoming southbound freeway on-ramp and there is a “Do Not Enter” sign at the end of the off-ramp, she said. That is Caltrans’ standard sign placement of signs when an on-ramp and an off-ramp are next to each other, as they are on MacArthur, Orem said. Additional signs will not be erected because too many signs can distract the motorist, she said.

A project to widen MacArthur Boulevard is under design. The project will add a bridge over the San Diego Freeway to accommodate westbound traffic on MacArthur and widen the southbound MacArthur on-ramp, she said. All signing such as “DO NOT ENTER” signs at this location will be emphasized, she added.