If Drivers Can’t See Wall, There’s No Barrier to Fixing It

Dear Street Smart:

We were driving the southbound section of the Santa Ana Freeway’s walled-in carpool lane in Santa Ana the other evening when all four people in the car noticed how difficult it was to see the concrete barrier on the right. It would be easy for someone to actually mistake the barrier for a traffic lane if they didn’t know any better.

We concluded that the situation is the result of low light levels in this area and the dark concrete color of the barrier. Reflective paint stripes or similar marking on the barrier would probably correct the problem. What do you think?

Jack Goffman

Dana Point

The stretch of freeway you are talking about is only 6 months old and is still being evaluated by Caltrans engineers for safety flaws, according to spokeswoman Maureena Duran-Rojas. Your concern will be added to the list of things they will check out during an upcoming inspection, she said. And if reflective paint striping is warranted, it will be added, along with other improvements, in January.

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Dear Street Smart:

I drive Laguna Canyon Road, and I notice a sign that says, “Turn on Your Lights for the Next Few Miles.” My question: Is this sign mandatory, and if so, what is the penalty for not complying?

Jack Larivee

Laguna Beach

The sign is advisory only, and there is no legal penalty for noncompliance, said Steve Kohler, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

“The only penalty is that you might get smacked by another car that doesn’t see you,” Kohler said.

The sign was put up to help reduce the potential for collisions.

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Dear Street Smart:

What happened to the freeway call boxes on the Santa Ana Freeway from Ranch Road in Tustin to Chapman Avenue in Orange? They seem to have disappeared.

Alfred Lee

Irvine

The call boxes were removed to accommodate the widening of that segment of the Santa Ana Freeway, according to John Standiford, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority. They should be replaced by early December.

About 75 new boxes, roughly the same number that were removed, will be installed every quarter mile in both directions.

“Where the boxes were before is now the middle of the freeway,” Standiford said.

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Dear Street Smart:

Why isn’t the CHP citing freeway drivers who go only 55 to 60 mph in the fast lane or next to the fast lane? This is a dangerous practice because it encourages impatient drivers following them to take chances to get past them. These inconsiderate, slow fast-lane drivers are all ages and not just the “little old lady from Pasadena.”

Richard M. Vogel

Laguna Hills

In fact, such drivers can and are cited for traveling at unsafe speeds, according to Pat Ryan, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, but only if, as you suggest, their slow speed impedes traffic by forcing other drivers to pass on the right.

“People aren’t cited too often because it’s not that common a problem,” Ryan said. “Most people know that the fast lane is for passing and that they shouldn’t just park it out there.”

The solution, of course, is obvious. If you want to drive 55 mph, Ryan said, stay in the far right lane with other slow traffic such as commercial vehicles and cars pulling trailers, for which 55 is the legal speed limit.

“The right lane is the safest place to be,” Ryan said. “If you have problems, it’s easier to get off the freeway, and you’re farther away from traffic traveling in the opposite direction.”

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 David Haldane, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County Edition, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, send faxes to (714) 966-7711 or e-mail him at David.Haldane@latimes.com. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.