Q. Honk: The lane lines on the I-10 Freeway in Santa Monica and maybe elsewhere are white on a black background. Both the background and the broken white lines are sprayed on. Why are they like this? I thought it might be to help driverless cars.
– Bob Marsh, Pacific Palisades
A. That stretch there is concrete, not the more attractive asphalt, as you know, Bob.
The technique you mentioned is to help motorists figure out exactly where they should be: White paint on concrete could use a little help to stick out.
“The white lane lines on black background are highly reflective, six-inch-wide stripes that enhance safety by being more visible to motorists, including in poor weather such as rain,” Jim Medina, a Caltrans spokesman for that area, told Honk in an email.
“The black background basically makes the white visually stand out.”
And the reflective, white-striping effort does bode well for the future, too.
“It does help autonomous vehicles,” Medina said. “They are able to sense (the stripes).”
Several years ago, in fact, Caltrans started moving away from Botts’ dots, those raised ceramic discs that once marked lanes, in part because they confused self-driving vehicles.
Q. Dear Honk: Do people with handicap license plates get fees waived on California toll roads? I am confused on this issue, because I get conflicting answers from the various toll agencies. I am hoping you can get to the right people and get the correct answer.
– Mike Greenfield, Lake Elsinore
A. Well, Mike, you actually hold the answer.
Yes, the California Legislature, years ago set up a statewide system so that motorists could take various tollways using the same FasTrak transponder – if you are in the Bay Area and take a toll road up there, the charge will appear on your regular bill.
So there is a sameness to toll roads in the state. But different government bodies oversee the different toll systems.
For example, the 91 Express Lanes, which connect Orange and Riverside counties and parallel the 91 Freeway, offer a great deal for those with disabled person license plates.
After they register to get a Special Access Account, these motorists can go westbound for free at all times, and it’s free eastbound except from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, when the fee is half of the regular charge.
That deal is available on the Orange and Riverside legs of the 91 Express Lanes. But to use those toll lanes, even if such drivers never have to pay, they must have a transponder.
Those who only have disabled person placards (but not the plates) do not qualify for special access.
Some tollways – including the 241, 73, 261 and 133 – don’t offer a discount program for those with disabled person plates. Neither do the I-15 Express Lanes or the South Bay Expressway in San Diego County.
Honkin’ break: The Blue Ridge fire and the Santa Ana winds knocked out the power for two signs that motorists see when approaching the westbound 91 Express Lanes in Orange County. Those signs remind drivers entering that tollway that they need a transponder, and they show the cost of taking the route. Because the signs went dark from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, the Orange County Transportation Agency waived the tolls for those hours, spokesman Eric Carpenter said. Normally, OCTA would have collected an estimated $12,700 in all during that stretch.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk
These freeway lane markings do seem a bit unusual posted first on https://anaheimsignsorangecounty.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment