CigAlert Could Be the Next Blow for Smokers

A newcomer to Southern California wrote to ask me what the radio announcers are talking about when they mention “Sig/Cig Alerts” (he wasn’t sure of the spelling).

I explained (in my best radio voice) that a SigAlert is any unscheduled freeway problem that closes one or more traffic lanes for at least 30 minutes. And, of course, there’s no such thing as a cig alert. Smoking hasn’t been banned on the roadways.

At least not yet.

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ON A BIT OF A SOUR NOTE: Over the years this column has received numerous sightings of musicians rehearsing while driving--freeway flutists, trumpet players, kazoo players, drummers pounding steering wheels with their sticks, etc. Apparently the problem exists elsewhere, too. Jack Rozint of Laguna Beach snapped a shot of a sign in China that seems to outlaw trumpet playing (see photo).

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SPEED TALKER: But motorists aren’t the only roadway users who indulge in side activities.

Bob West encountered “a 13- or 14-year-old boy who was flying down the sidewalk on the La Paz Road hill in Mission Viejo on his Razor scooter. He caught my attention because of the speed at which he was moving and because he was gaining speed while he steered the contraption with one hand. As I passed him I noticed to my amazement that he was talking animatedly into a cell phone, which he was holding in his other hand. One hand, no helmet, no common sense.”

Yep. And that maneuver will probably be an event in the next Extreme Olympics.

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WHICH REMINDS ME: Tony Secrist of Silver Lake was a bit surprised to see a yellow Cherokee with a “Hang Up and Drive” bumper sticker being driven by a guy who was talking on a cell phone.

Makes perfect sense to me. The motorist figured the bumper sticker would cut down his chances of getting a busy signal when he made a call from the car.

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DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ITEM: M.B. Fosselman of South Pasadena saw a mention of a couple of smooth operators who were putting the bite on people, so to speak, at a hamburger stand (see accompanying).

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WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT: Steve Durgin of Woodland Hills received a note from the L.A. Department of Animal Regulation that he thinks is all wet (see accompanying).

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ON THE ROAD: Durgin also sent along a snapshot that made me wonder if it was further evidence that a certain coffee company is conspiring to take over the world (see photo). There was the name similarity. The Seattle-area location. And the fact that this company offers jump-starts, which is what my morning coffee does for me. But a worker at the towing company assured me there was no connection. Of course, isn’t that what you’d expect them to say?

miscelLAny:

The Seal Beach Sun’s police blotter carried this item out of Los Alamitos:

“Green Avenue, 2:32 p.m.--Two men were in an alley, banging on windows looking for a man named Louie.”

I think I’ve finally found the opening sentence for my novel.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.