If Caltrans’ watering is wasteful, give it a jingle
Q. On Aug. 16, I put in a Caltrans online Customer Service Request, pointing out that it is watering landscaping along the off-ramp from the northbound 5 Freeway to Bake Parkway when temperatures are high, and the wind blows most of the water onto the ramp. Four days later, I received an email from Caltrans indicating the matter had been closed. The next two days the situation had not been changed. Why Caltrans would close this item before any remedial work was done can only be explained by saying, “Well, it’s the government.” This is an example of a government agency that is either indifferent or ill managed.
– Jim Hasty, Lake Forest
A. Not sure why you weren’t given more information, Jim, but Honk passed along your love letter to David Matza, a Caltrans spokesman for Orange County, to get an answer on the actual watering problem.
He said the sprinklers must be run at certain times.
“It is necessary, due to water pressure issues in the area,” he said. “These issues are caused by a farm that is on the other side of the ramp that plugs into the same water source.”
Matza said the sprinklers were indeed not working properly, and there were other issues with the watering system out there as well. Because of workload demands, he said the maintenance team had to make another trip out there on another day, but everything was resolved as of Aug. 28.
Jim, Honk asked if your inquiry sparked the fixes and was told Caltrans had already planned to go out there.
Perhaps. But Honk encourages those with a beef about water waste, or any other concern with Caltrans, to let the agency know, just like Jim did.
You can go online or call 657-328-6000.
Q. Hey Honk: Can you shine some light on the various lights that flash on the toll roads when cars pass through the detectors? I have noticed red, blue and yellow ones in addition to another light that flashes.
– Brent Smith, Aliso Viejo
A. The colored lights are a throwback to pre-2014, when you had to have a transponder to use the 241, 73, 261 or 133 toll roads or pay cash at one of the booths.
The colored lights hang above traffic, adjacent to the old toll plazas.
So if a vehicle didn’t pull off to the side to pay and went straight ahead, a colored light went off and the California Highway Patrol officer knew the offender hadn’t paid cash – nor had the system detected the required transponder.
The color of the light told the officer which lane the possible culprit was in.
Those lights still remain and light up, even though these days your fare is charged via a transponder or by automated license-plate readers.
The flash you see is likely for one of the various cameras set up to capture your front and rear license-plate number.
“We take a lot of photos from various angles,” said Sarah Swensson King, a spokeswoman for those toll roads.
Honkin’ fact: Ever wonder how many drivers cheat in the carpool lane by driving in it solo without any legal exemption? Honk did, so he asked Matza, the Caltrans spokesman for Orange County, about it. In his turf, he says, there are stretches were there are an estimated 30 percent violators, while in other spots less than 10 percent of the motorists in the carpool lanes are cheats.
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.