State Says Which Way Road Goes

Dear Traffic Talk:

Did Caltrans buy a defective compass or has the direction of the Glendale Freeway changed from north-south to east-west? Recently, signs on Interstate 5 have been changed, making the trip toward the 134 Freeway eastbound, even though the freeway markers indicate the driver is headed north. There must be a reason for this.

--Barry Allen

Glendale

Dear Barry:

No, Caltrans officials don’t have any problems with their sense of direction, said Ivy Estrada, a spokeswoman for Caltrans. The state Legislature designates all state highway routes, including numbers and direction, she said.

Both the 2 and 134 freeways are designated to run west to east, while Interstate 5 runs from south to north, Estrada said. “If there are signs that show directions that are contrary to those designations, then Caltrans will investigate and rectify the problem,” Estrada said.

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Dear Traffic Talk:

Whose idea was it to build a “decorative” wall in the traffic island triangle at the three-way junction of Truman Street and San Fernando Road in San Fernando?

The wall is about 5 feet high and serves no other purpose than to block the view of drivers headed south on Truman. Yes, there is a traffic signal, but with the scofflaws running red lights these days, this is little reassurance.

With the money invested in erecting this eyesore, it is unlikely that anyone will admit a mistake and remove it.

--Addy Tatto

Pacoima

Dear Addy:

The decorative wall you’re referring to will eventually welcome motorists entering San Fernando from Pacoima, under the “San Fernando Gateway Project,” said Edwin Galvez, the project’s engineer.

City officials approved the project after various safety studies were conducted, he said.

“In fact, we determined that a much larger sign than the one we built could be built without significant safety hazards,” Galvez said. “Five feet tall isn’t a monstrosity.”

The 5-foot sign will have “City of San Fernando” emblazoned on it, along with the city’s seal or some other symbol, Galvez said. The sign, along with road repairs, landscaping and street lights make up the second phase of a two-part project to improve the city’s image. Construction of the $400,000 sign project should be completed by the end of this month.

Traffic on Truman and San Fernando Road is separated by an island, and city officials took extra precautions to keep motorists from hitting the wall by removing the old asphalt islands and creating landscape buffers, Galvez said.

“A car driving on the island wouldn’t hit the wall unless they were driving at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour,” Galvez said. “We purposely did that as a safety feature.”

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Dear Traffic Talk:

Lately, I have noticed many motorists dangerously crossing the solid white line painted at the right edge of the roadway to pass cars traveling in the right lane, often even entering a bike lane to pass on the right.

I always thought a white line may only be crossed to park, turn right into a driveway or to make a right turn at an intersection 200 feet before the turn.

Isn’t this against the law? I have heard that this is a rather expensive violation. How much would such a violation cost a motorist?

--Kenneth Dine

North Hollywood

Dear Kenneth:

You cannot drive in bike lanes except to park, enter or leave a roadway or to begin a turn 200 feet from the intersection, said Officer Lou Aviles, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

If you are more than 200 feet from the intersection, you cannot cross the white line to pass cars and make your turn since the bike lane is technically considered to be a road shoulder, he said.

As for the fine, each court has its own bail schedule that determines the cost. There is no set amount, Aviles said.