Call Box Just Like 911--For Crises Only

Today’s quiz: Which of the following could be considered an emergency phone call?

A) “Can you call my boss to tell him I’m stuck in traffic?”

B) “I’m trying to get to Riverside. Can you tell me the best way?”

C) “Help, there are 30-foot flames shooting out of my Daihatsu.”

D) “I just got paged by my friend. Can you patch my call through to her?”

E) “Hi. What time is it?”

The right answer is C, but it’s the only call we made up. All these other mundane or moronic questions were asked by drivers who pulled over to use a roadside emergency phone and found an irked California Highway Patrol dispatcher on the other end of the line.

It wouldn’t be a big deal, except that at any given time there might be four or fewer CHP dispatchers handling all 300 or more daily calls from the phones along Orange County freeways, toll roads and state highways. Those same harried dispatchers also handle every 911 call made on local cellular phones, which amount to about 400 a day. These people really don’t have time to chat. We know--we phoned to talk to them about stupid calls, but their boss, Larry Wilcox, said they wouldn’t take our call (stop laughing, that’s not funny).

We did find out some interesting things about the network of 1,100 call boxes standing like sentries along Orange County thoroughfares. They cost about $3,000 each, they run on solar power and, like the call boxes throughout California, they were all made by an Irvine company called Comarco Wireless, according to Liz Mahoney, project manager for the county phone system.

Overall, use of the 11-year-old phone network dipped sharply between 1992 and 1995 and then leveled off--a trend showing the proliferation of cellular phones, Mahoney said.

Sadly, three or four of these call boxes make the ultimate sacrifice every month, crumpling beneath the wheels of motorists who, quite suddenly, have a very real emergency to report.

Where is the busiest call box? Last month the honor when to No. 91-182, a stalwart standing near the Gypsum Canyon exit of the eastbound 91 Freeway. It took 42 calls in April, more than triple the average, making it a popular spot indeed.

Hopefully, the people who pulled to a stop at No. 91-182 weren’t asking for weather updates or directions to the Brea Mall--and in the process needlessly making themselves targets.

“The most dangerous speed on the freeway is zero mph. You’re just sitting there helpless, waiting to get hit,” Wilcox said. “It’s not a place to be stopped if you don’t have to be.”

ASSISTANCE ON TAP: The CHP wants people with speech or hearing impairments to know they too can use the emergency call boxes. If dispatchers hear the phone receiver being tapped against the call box, they will assume the person on the line is asking for help, and a CHP cruiser will be sent to the site right away, Wilcox said. The CHP has been trying to spread the word about the signal by posting small signs inside some call boxes and through outreach efforts to the hearing-impaired community, but lots of folks remain unaware. If you know someone who might benefit from this tidbit, please be sure to pass it on.

CAR VERSUS TRAIN: Is there an urban rail system in Orange County’s future? Not if you think Tomorrowland is a glimpse of days to come.

The remodeled section of Disneyland made its debut May 22, and the new landscape does not include the People Mover, arguably the county’s oldest light rail system--even though its box-shaped cars covered less than a mile in a plodding 16 minutes.

Decades ago, the People Mover was a Disney vision of clean and efficient mass transit. So what replaced it in the updated future? Rocket race cars, of course.

Here’s how Disneyland officials describe the new ride in a press release: “Instead of relying on huge trains or subways, the transportation of the future will look like the Rocket Rods thrill ride, a five-seat vehicle . . . that rockets guests to their next destination.”

The Rocket Rods pop wheelies as they whisk squealing tourists along the same old route in a torrid three minutes. The new attraction may still ride on rails, but its appeal is pure car culture. Advocates of urban rail were clearly outraged and saddened by the Disney decision.

“Nah, the People Mover was kind of boring,” said Sarah Catz, chairwoman of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority. “I’m not sad at all. That new ride sounds fun.”

We’ll keep an eye on this growing controversy.

THIS WEEK’S TIP: The smoke is billowing from under your hood, and what remains of your right front tire is flapping against the asphalt. You know you are about to break down on the freeway. Here are some ways to do it as safely as possible:

* Turn on your hazard lights to warn other drivers that you are in distress. Get to an exit and get off the freeway if possible. If you can’t, pull to the shoulder and stop as far to the right as possible.

* If you have to get out of your car, use the door farthest away from traffic.

* Don’t cross a freeway to reach a call box; it’s far too dangerous. If you are stranded on the center median, stay there and wait for help. While waiting, keep your seat belt fastened.

The Roads Scholar wants to hear your insights, stories and questions about traffic, the commuting experience and Orange County transportation issues.

Call Geoff Boucher at (714) 966-5724, send e-mail to him at geoff.boucher@latimes.com or mail letters to Geoff Boucher, c/o The Roads Scholar, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Please include your full name, hometown and phone number.

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The Callbox

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION: Has Orange County traffic congestion improved or worsened in the last few years?

“In the areas where the construction has finished, it’s beautiful, it’s wide open. However with so much construction remaining, some places are still terrible. . . . On the westbound 91 before the 57, there’s a 24-hour traffic jam.”

--Vince McDonough, Costa Mesa

“It’s worse. I’ve been driving on the 55 from home to work in Orange since 1982, and in the afternoon I have to leave the office later and later. It used to be I could leave at 5:30 and give myself a smooth ride. Now I have to wait till 7.”

--Ilona Galant, Newport Beach

“I think with the current spurt of growth in roadways that traffic has either stayed the same or in some areas has improved. . . . But the increase in employment and population in the years to come is going to overwhelm the system because Measure M money is running out.”

--Dave Mootchnik, Huntington Beach

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: What is the nicest view from an Orange County freeway?

Phone in your comments to the Callbox at (714) 966-5724 or send e-mail to geoff.boucher@latimes.com