Carpool Lane Layout Drives Scofflaw Nuts
Two weeks ago, we shared some carpool horror stories we heard from reader Daniel A. Thurber, a devoted diamond-laner who watches oblivious drivers and scofflaws illegally cross the lane’s double yellow lines just about every day.
Thurber’s comments touched off a mini-flood of mail, with most of the responses cheering his criticism of drivers who zig-zag in and out of the lane despite the hefty $271 fine for crossing the double yellow (the same fine that zaps single occupants who flout the carpool rules). But there were some exceptions.
Take LeRoy W. of Seal Beach. He sent us his last name and address, but we’re keeping that quiet because we don’t want his candor rewarded with a pricey ticket. Or a pink slip.
You see, LeRoy is a professional driver who piles up a dizzying 1,500 miles a week shuttling passengers to and from area airports. He is also, according to his confession, a regular violator of the double yellow lines. He’s proud of it and said he will continue to flout the law until freeway planners create more logical entry/exit points.
He told us he knows the lane laws, and he wants to obey them, but a lot of the time it just doesn’t work out that way. “I try to avoid crossing the double yellow lines, but I’ll cross in a heartbeat if the lines make no sense,” he told us via e-mail.
He went on to say the dotted white breaks in the diamond lane are spaced in a way that it makes it impossible to reach the next off-ramp in heavy traffic--he cited the northbound San Diego Freeway in Seal Beach and Long Beach as a prime example. Caltrans officials have heard this before: They remind us that lane breaks are plotted and placed by engineers, and that drivers are responsible for planning ahead and--brace yourself, LeRoy--leaving the lane’s comfy confines earlier to give themselves some room to move.
LeRoy said he has never been ticketed for his lane violations. He added that if he ever is, he will take Caltrans to task to prove there is a cogent, practical plan behind the lane designs. In fact, he said he welcomes the battle: “I bet I’ll win.”
*
GREEN LIGHT, YELLOW BUS, RED FLAG: Reader Dave Dugan, who teaches driving skills to seniors at the Laguna Niguel Senior Center, was nice enough to call with a valuable clarification to our item last week on the state’s 6-month-old school bus law.
To recap: School bus drivers now are required by law to flash red warning lights each time they stop to load or unload young passengers. We told you that other drivers, regardless of the direction they are driving, must stop when they see these lights--with the exception of drivers who are on the opposite side of a divided highway. A divided highway is defined as any street with a median divider (of at least 2 feet in width) or a pair of double yellow lines.
We thought that covered just about everything, but Dugan pointed out another wrinkle: What if the bus is stopped at an intersection with a traffic light? Do you heed the bus warning lights telling you to stop, or the green traffic light and honking horns urging you to go forward?
The answer is the traffic light, Dugan said.
One of his students was rear-ended not long ago when he hit the brakes for a stopped bus and the driver behind him kept going. “And my student was told he was in the wrong for stopping,” Dugan said.
We called up Joe Davis, chief of police services in Laguna Niguel, to hear some more on the topic. The Thomas Edward Lanni School Bus Safety Act of 1997 is of keen local interest in Davis’ city because the law was named for a local 7-year-old hit and killed after stepping off a school bus.
“There’s a conflict between the law and the traffic code,” Davis said, adding that this intersection topic has been a sticking point for the new law. There is some talk of changing the law to specifically address the issue, but until then there is some debate on what to do.
Davis said his opinion is a green light should overrule the school bus warning lights at an intersection because the law is designed to protect youngsters crossing the street in front of the bus--and, presumably, youngsters won’t be doing that if there’s a green light.
There’s one good way to side-step all confusion, Davis said. “To me, the school bus shouldn’t be stopping there with its warning lights on. Go up the street. Stopping at the intersection could confuse other drivers and confuse the kids.”
*
TIP OF THE WEEK: July 1 will start a new era of stricter guidelines for teen drivers seeking their first California driver’s license. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for the nation’s teens, and the extra requirements are aimed at getting them more supervision and instruction. From the Auto Club of Southern California, some highlights of the new law:
* Drivers between 15 and 18 must hold a learner’s permit for six months (up from the 30 days under current law), and during that span they must log 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night. A parent or guardian must certify those hours in writing.
* After six months with a learner’s permit, and after their 16th birthday, teens can obtain a provisional license.
* For the first six months with the provisional license, these young drivers are not allowed to be behind the wheel with passengers under age 20--unless at least one passenger is 25 or older. Some exceptions exist for family need issues.
* For one year with the provisional license, the teens cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless at least one passenger is 25 or older. Some exceptions exist for work, school and family issues. Licensees must carry a statement from a parent, employer, doctor, etc.
* For a detailed brochure on the law, or to get guidelines on teaching young drivers and a log to track supervised driving hours, call the Auto Club at (800) 327-3444.
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.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
The Callbox
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION: “What is the most difficult or dangerous intersection in Orange County?”
“The intersection of Fern Drive and Carhart Avenue in the city of Fullerton. . . . The speed limit is 25 mph, but several hundred cars per day travel in excess of 50 mph. Since [Carhart] is narrow, and there are no sidewalks . . . elementary school children must walk in the street.”
--John Di Fiore, Fullerton
“The corner of Glenwood Drive and Moulton Parkway in Aliso Viejo. . . . In the morning, everyone wants to go left [from Glenwood to Moulton] and traffic backs up about 15 or 20 cars deep.”
--Bob Destino, Mission Viejo
“The Campus Drive/Irvine Boulevard exit from the southbound 73 has a problem. . . . The striping [creating a left turn lane] is ignored by much of the traffic during morning rush hour. . . . The choice each day is to break the law or try to merge into the cars that cross the stripe.”
--Todd Harrison, Irvine
*
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: What would be an appropriate punishment for repeat offenders of drunk driving?
Phone in your comments to The Callbox at (714) 966-5724 or send e-mail to geoff.boucher@latimes.com
