When Being in the Right Lane Can Be the Wrong Move

Dear Street Smart:

I read your (column) regularly, and now that I have my own problem I feel as if I have somewhere to turn. I recently received a traffic violation for something that I believe was not my fault.

While driving east on the Artesia Freeway, there are signs saying the Beach Boulevard exit is coming up, beginning when that exit is three-quarters of a mile ahead. Also there are signs that the Santa Ana Freeway connection is coming, telling you to be in one of the right two lanes if you want to go southbound on the Santa Ana.

“Exit only” lines are visible on the road, making it look as though Beach Boulevard will be an “optional” exit and that lane No. 5 will be an “exit only” for the Santa Ana Freeway. By the time you see the last Beach Boulevard sign that now shows “only” it is too late. Now you have to move back to lane No. 4 to continue toward the Santa Ana Freeway (or be forced to exit at Beach)!

I guess it is legal if you do this, except if you pass another vehicle, then it is considered passing on the right shoulder. I honestly did not realize this and took it (the ticket) as a learning experience.

I was just going to go to traffic school and forget the whole thing when I had the opportunity to drive by this same area again. I noticed that many drivers were doing the same thing I did!

My solution is to add an “only” to the second sign that shows the Beach Boulevard exit half a mile away. In addition to that, an arrow should be placed on the Santa Ana Freeway sign to designate the lane you should be in. Randall G. Ward Huntington Beach

Rose Orem, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said you might not have noticed two warning signs on the shoulder of the freeway that read “Right lane must exit.” Also, there are long dash lines on the freeway defining lane No. 5 as an auxiliary lane and an overhead guide sign stating that the Santa Ana Freeway is still a mile ahead--enough clues, she said, for you to know that those in lane No. 5 must exit to Beach.

But Caltrans agrees that a change in the Santa Ana Freeway intersection alert sign would be helpful. Orem said Caltrans will add an arrow to the overhead sign stating the intersection is a mile ahead to make it clear that those wanting to exit at the Santa Ana Freeway should get in lane No. 4. Also, she said “Beach Blvd.” will be added to the sign with an arrow pointing to lane No. 5.

Dear Street Smart:

At fairly frequent intervals, the railroad crossing lights and guardrail at Orangethorpe Avenue and Rose Drive in Placentia are activated for no apparent reason. This most usually happens about 8 p.m. After about 10 minutes with no sign of a train, drivers begin to weave their way around the guardrails, creating the possibility of an accident. This situation has existed for several months. Is there someone to contact regarding this matter? Thanks. Bill Fernandes Placentia

Santa Fe Railway officials said they receive an extraordinary number of complaints about guardrails and lights being activated without a train in sight at several rail and road intersections in Placentia, including the one you mention.

Mike Martin, Santa Fe’s manager of public affairs for the railroad, said most of the complaints come from frustrated motorists stuck in backed-up traffic on busy Rose Drive. They call the Placentia Police Department, which in turn contacts the railroad.

The mysterious gate closings can be caused by a variety of factors: maintenance vehicles on the tracks or welding being done, rainy weather that trips a circuit, other kinds of equipment malfunctions or vandalism.

Martin said each time the railroad receives a complaint, it sends a maintenance worker to check it out within 12 hours.

In the last four instances in which complaints were lodged about the crossing at Rose Drive, Martin said, the gates were working smoothly by the time the maintenance worker arrived and he was unable to detect any technical problems.

In response to the Street Smart inquiry, Martin said, a railway supervisor will look at the gate and give a second opinion.

But no matter how frustrated you feel, police caution that it is illegal--and very unwise--to weave around lowered railroad guard gates. You never know when a train might be just around the bend.