Questions and Answers About Your Commute : Readers Offer Diverse Routes to Ease Drive
Dear Readers:
Most Southern Californians are more than willing to offer guidance to their fellow commuters. Try obeying the speed limit on any freeway, and you’re likely to get more feedback than a heavy metal guitarist.
Fortunately, several readers chose this space to offer their suggestions and observations. Their ideas range from road signs to reminders, and there’s not a raised voice--or finger--in the bunch.
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Dear Traffic Talk:
Many years ago when I first arrived in Los Angeles, I was driving south on the Hollywood Freeway when I came to the vicinity of the five-deck interchange. The big question was, which do I take? To Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Santa Monica? In the uncertainty of which freeway to take, I attracted the attention of a CHP officer who gave me a ticket for erratic driving.
The problem is one of engineers being too familiar with the system. They are unable to relate to a newcomer on the freeway system.
The simple solution is giant signs--and I mean giant--that picture the freeway splits. I have seen these giant pictorial signs on the Autobahn in Germany.
Harry Pace
North Hollywood
Dear Traffic Talk:
Regarding metered freeway on-ramps with two lanes causing a mad rush to be first, may I suggest a cheaper solution than a light for each lane?
As you know, when two vehicles arrive at an intersection at the same time, the car on the right has the right of way. How about placing a sign at each two-lane on-ramp declaring that the car on the right of two side-by-side cars, has the right of way?
Bert Cooper
North Hollywood
Dear Traffic Talk:
The world has never seen such a collection of highly intelligent, exhaustively educated people as now live in America. Yet we have found no way of tapping this resource and finding the often easy answers to so many of our problems. We can insert a flying bomb through an open door, remotely, from an airplane many miles away, yet we cannot stop a person of the lowest level intelligence from robbing a bank or stealing a car.
I suggest the use of panels of flashing lights in the back and front of a car, which would operate when the vehicle is put into gear by an unauthorized driver. A simple rearrangement of the present emergency flashing lights is all that is needed.
The only clue the thief would have is that everyone would be looking at him wherever he went. Not a good way to steal a car.
Stan Twomey
Verdugo City
Dear Traffic Talk:
As a pedestrian, I have often had problems when I am crossing an intersection when traffic is clear. Someone comes up to make a right-hand turn, looks to the left and sees that it is clear. Without looking to the right to see if I am there, they then turn and almost hit me. It has happened several times.
Remind people to look both ways when making that right turn. I want to live, and I’m better off as a pedestrian than as a driver.
Barbara Todor
North Hollywood
Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley. Please write to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, Calif. 91311. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. To record your comments, call (818) 772-3303. Send fax letters to (818) 772-3385.
