You probably don’t know what this roadway symbol means
Q. I noticed while walking this morning that the city of Fullerton repainted the bike lane stripes on Acacia Avenue. What I found curious is the painted bike lane icon is in the car lane. You know, the stenciled bicycle on the roadway you see with an arrowhead design above it. Isn’t this icon for a bike lane? So is it in the right location? What does it signify?
– Scott Irwin, Fullerton
A. That symbol has been popping up on city streets in recent years and is called a sharrow – meaning a shared lane for cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles (If this symbol doesn’t sound familiar, go to ocregister.com/tag/honk, where Honk has a photo of one to look at).
The sharrow is supposed to tell all that bicyclists are OK to ride in the lane, instead of having to hug the curb and possibly get smacked by a car or truck door swinging open.
Now, as to Acacia, Scott, it was just too narrow of a street for bike lanes.
There’s just not enough space for a lane in each direction, cars parking on the shoulders and the bike lanes, Mark Miller, Fullerton’s traffic engineer, told Honk. So the bike lanes were erased: “They were not legal-width bike lanes.”
Because many who see the sharrows won’t know what they mean, Fullerton has signs posted that say, “Bikes may use full lane.”
Q. Honk: On the southbound I-5 Freeway, just before the Highway 1 exit, there is a severe dip in the freeway. Going any faster than 50 mph will result in your car bottoming out. Who can we contact to do something about road hazards such as this?
– Wiley Ehrke, Dana Point
A. Yikes – that is a stretch a reader complained about last week, saying it is difficult to see the lane markings there (Caltrans is doing work in that area, including re-striping, in the next several months).
Concerning freeways, you can go to csr.dot.ca.gov to file a complaint or, for Orange County-specific stuff, call Caltran’s Maintenance Customer Liaison at 657-328-6255, said Van Nguyen, a Caltrans spokeswoman.
“We typically get calls about litter, graffiti, potholes, signal issues, missing or damaged signs, debris in the roadway, or landscaping requests,” she told Honk in an email.
“As for the dip on the I-5 that your reader is referring to, we are aware of the issue and we’re working to resolve it,” Nguyen said.
“Because of the asphalt work required, we have to pay close attention to the mix and ground temperatures. This work needs to be performed during the day when temperatures are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and that requires special approval for traffic closures.”
Caltrans is taking measures “to expedite this work,” she said.
Honkin’ idea: Awhile back, Honk mentioned that he was quite happy with readers’ responses when he asked for their pet peeves out on the roadways.
He also mentioned he wanted to get more input from those in Honkland on some other topic, and that he was mulling over what that could be. Jim Fuchs of Costa Mesa did Honk’s thinking for him and offered up a nifty one:
What are the intersections or stretches of roadway you find most dangerous?
As he put it, “I know there are statistics, but real drivers usually know better than statistics.”
Please stuff Honk’s electronic mailbag with your emails and concerns, so a future column can list the areas that you fear most. Include name, city of residence and, in case Honk has a quick query, your phone number.
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.