Width of El Toro Road Comes Up Short for Right-Turn Lane

Dear Street Smart:

Why is there no striping for a right-turn lane at the intersection of El Toro Road going west and Moulton Parkway heading north? The three other intersections at Moulton and El Toro are striped and marked with an arrow for right turns.

Motorists who are not familiar with this very busy intersection stop in the center of the wide lane, backing up the traffic so that cars have to wait for their chance to make the turn. There is enough room in the right lane for both straight ahead and the turn.

Shirley Warren

Laguna Hills

Looks are deceiving. Some cars can squeeze through to make a right turn, but there really isn’t enough width for both a through lane and a right-turn lane, says Ignacio Ochoa, manager of traffic engineering for Orange County.

Right-turn lanes need to be a minimum of 10 feet wide, and at that intersection, El Toro Road is a couple feet too narrow, Ochoa said. Because the area is so heavily trafficked by a mix of private and commercial vehicles, the county did not think it wise to shave some width off adjacent lanes to make room for a right-turn lane, Ochoa said.

Design plans are in the works to widen the whole intersection, including the addition of a right-turn lane on El Toro, but it will be at least two years before that happens. Trying to acquire some right-of-way land will occupy much of that time, Ochoa said.

Dear Street Smart:

I’ve been a resident of Seal Beach for the past 27 years. As long as I can remember, a white stripe (which served as a bike lane) was present on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway running through Seal Beach.

When Caltrans repaved the road, they did not repaint the stripe (although they repainted the stripe after repaving through Sunset Beach). Caltrans has not been forthcoming regarding the rationale for this action.

My Seal Beach City Council representative, Gwen Forsythe, indicated that the city was eager to replace the striping, but the problem was in Sacramento. Since the repaving took place six months ago, can you look into this matter? I personally believe the lack of striping is very unsafe for the many bike riders that use PCH.

Martin Fiebert

Seal Beach

The white stripe along Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach was actually a “right edge stripe,” which originally was used to define the shoulder of the road when that stretch was undeveloped and had no curbs.

Now that it’s a commercial strip with sidewalks, the striping wasn’t necessary, said Rose Orem of Caltrans.

Although the striped shoulder may have been used through the years as a bike lane, it did not have the legally required signs and pavement markings as such, she said.

That stretch will be re-striped for bicyclists as the budget and other priorities allow, she said. But that may be years away.

Dear Street Smart:

I live on what was once a very quiet street (Warren Avenue) here in Tustin. There are no sidewalks to speak of, nor street lights. There are also no speed limit signs.

However, the traffic has steadily increased and the other day I counted 200 cars going by between 3 and 4 p.m. Many people walk and ride bikes down this street.

I would guess this street to be a little over a quarter of a mile long and people drive very fast. I’ve been passed more than once on this street when I’m driving 40 m.p.h.

My question is: What can I do to get the county to slow traffic down? I’ve spoken to some of my neighbors and they support me in this.

I would guess a couple of stop signs or speed bumps and a speed sign would do the trick. Someone will get hurt if we can’t slow down and limit this constant traffic.

Steve Paxton

Tustin

County traffic engineer Ochoa says there are ways to solve these problems. A radar trailer could be set up to monitor speeds and volumes. If deemed appropriate, stop signs and speed limit signs could be erected and sidewalks could be built.

Community involvement is the best way to get the gears in motion. At your request, the county traffic folks could conduct a neighborhood meeting and explore what improvements are needed.

Writing to Ochoa and outlining your concerns would be helpful. You can mail your letter to: Ignacio Ochoa, Manager of Traffic Engineering, County of Orange, 300 N. Flower St., Santa Ana, CA 92702-4048. You can also call him at (714) 834-3484 during regular business hours.