All the Road’s a Stage, Even if Show’s Bizarre

Dear Street Smart:

My wife and I drive Lake Forest Boulevard every day and occasionally witness a woman who stands on certain corners of two different major intersections and tries to draw attention to herself by displaying some very bizarre behavior to passing motorists such as grabbing her crotch, making obscene gestures and holding up signs that make no sense. We both feel, as well as some of our friends who have seen her, that she is a major distraction and she could cause an accident if allowed to continue. Are there laws to prohibit her from her demonstrations?

Frank Lee

Lake Forest

People have the right to be as bizarre as they want to be on public streets. The only exception is when someone is determined to be “gravely mentally ill to the point where they are a threat to their own safety or to the safety of others,” said Larry Leaman, director of social services for Orange County.

The determination is generally made by a county mental health worker. The person can be taken into protective custody for as long as 72 hours for assessment. Those with extremely serious cases can be admitted to a mental health facility, although most are released under a management plan that can include medication, family intervention and ongoing counseling.

There is also a county ordinance prohibiting anyone from hindering traffic on a public road or annoying motorists. For someone to be cited, however, a law enforcement officer must see it.

The woman you refer to is well known to local sheriff’s deputies and mental health officials, who do not consider her behavior to be threatening. “The reality is that there are a lot of people like this in Orange County,” Leaman said. “Unless they are a threat to themselves or to others, they have a right to be there.”

Dear Street Smart:

Does Caltrans get paid by Arrowhead for the large freeway signs like “Arrowhead Pond, Take Ball Road Exit?” I hope so. If so, will the payment be higher for the possible next sign: “Southern California Edison Company, Stadium Next Exit?” If not paid, the signs should omit the advertisers’ names.

Walter Willey

Fullerton

Caltrans does not get paid for such signs because, said spokeswoman Maureena Duran-Rojas, they are part of the agency’s plan to direct traffic toward attractions that generate the crowds.

“We install signs that direct motorists off the freeway in a safe and expedient manner to keep the freeway from becoming congested,” she said. “We need to put the name of the venue out there so that people know what we’re talking about.”

Other Orange County attractions with freeway signs include Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, South Coast Plaza and Anaheim Stadium.

Duran-Rojas said she is not aware of any plans to erect signs bearing the name of the Edison company.

Dear Street Smart:

I have a few questions regarding the advantages of motorcycle riding on our roads. Is it legal to split lanes while riding through moving traffic as long as you’re not speeding? Is it legal to split lanes up to a red traffic light and wait for the green light? Is it legal to ride a motorcycle with only one person on it in all diamond lanes? Can I pass while I’m in a one-lane diamond lane? These are all questions I have not been able to get answers to from the DMV’s motorcycle supplement or from my other sources. Do these maneuvers vary in legality from county to county or city to city? I have been riding for years like this already and have not been pulled over.

Maybe I’m legal, or is it I’m just lucky? Hopefully, I can get some real answers for myself and the motorcycle community. Nobody seems to know for sure.

Stephen F. Helfrich

Newport Beach

Whether or not you are lucky, you are certainly legal.

It is not against California law, for instance, to “split lanes” on a motorcycle--drive between lanes. However, you should not go more than about 10 mph faster than the traffic you pass, said Steve Kohler, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

According to some studies, between lanes is the safest place for a motorcycle. “A lot of people think it’s a hazard, but the cold, hard facts are that it’s not,” said Harry Hurt, a professor of safety science at USC who conducted a motorcycle-safety study for the U.S. Department of Transportation. “The number of accidents involving riding between cars is insignificant compared with the number of motorcycles caught in a sandwich between the vehicle ahead of them and the one following.”

Splitting lanes is just as legal when approaching a red light.

Unless otherwise posted, carpool lanes throughout the state are open to motorcycles with solo riders. And passing in a single carpool lane by a motorcycle is permitted, as long as you don’t cross the lines marking the lane.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to David Haldane, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County Edition, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, send faxes to (714) 966-7711 or e-mail him at David.H[email protected]. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.