A parking ticket takes us along for the ride
Here’s a fun one: Imagine opening your mailbox and finding a delinquent notice for a parking ticket that was never paid.
The notice says you were ticketed in a certain city on a certain date. Problem is, neither you nor your vehicle were near that city on that date.
That’s the predicament facing a certain reader we’ll call Jane, for reasons we’ll explain later.
On the day she allegedly allowed a parking meter to expire, Jane says, she never left her town, which is more than 100 miles away. Instead, she says she went to the gym, her son’s soccer game and a dinner party.
“I’ll probably end up paying it,” said Jane, who is guessing that the meter maid flubbed the license plate number of the offending vehicle. So, when the ticket wasn’t paid, the delinquency notice went to her.
Attentive readers will recall that the Road Sage, in a previous life as a City Hall reporter, developed an addiction to parking ticket stories from the masses. Parking ticket tales of woe are like Do-si-dos -- it’s hard to have just one.
Last year we found that when it comes to fighting parking tickets, you’re basically guilty until proved innocent, and your good word usually isn’t good enough.
So, here’s what we’re going to do. Jane’s identity will, for now, be protected to allow us to watch as her case unfolds. She dashed off a protest letter to the city in question last week, and you can look forward to future installments of the Jane Chronicles on upcoming Mondays.
On three occasions recently, the Road Sage has taken the busy San Fernando Road exit on the westbound 134 Freeway, only to find what looked like a rehearsal for a demolition derby.
The problem is that the three-lane offrampdead-ends into four lane Fairmont Avenue and the only things controlling traffic at the intersection are three flimsy stop signs. As I watched several cars roll through those stop signs, I scribbled down a word that is loosely synonymous with ‘disorganized.’
A traffic signal hangs over the intersection but is covered with cardboard. A big sign proclaiming “Your Tax Dollars at Work” sits next to the road -- but I’ve yet to see anyone working. Perhaps your tax dollars are wintering elsewhere.
Caltrans officials said they’re waiting for the city of Glendale to file an encroachment permit to do necessary street work. Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian said Friday that the city had done its work and was waiting for Caltrans to turn on the signal.
While they work it out, buckle up!
A couple of weeks ago, we reported that the California Department of Transportation was putting stop-and-go lights, known as “meters,” on all onramps to the 210 from other freeways. At the time, Caltrans said the meters wouldn’t be activated until spring.
Well, spring has sprung early and the agency last week activated the new signals on ramps from the 57 and 605 freeways. Meters on ramps from the 118, 2 and 134 are scheduled to be flipped on in April.
The idea is to better space out the flow of cars from some of the busiest onramps onto the 210, which has become increasingly trafficked since being extended from San Dimas in the last few years.
The move is also part of a change in the way Caltrans is managing meters on the 210. Currently, the number of cars that meters allow to enter the freeway is determined by looking at traffic volumes just ahead of an onramp.
The new system ties together all the meters so the rate of entry is determined by looking at traffic along the entire 210 corridor. The idea is to better control -- and sometimes restrict -- vehicles entering the road so that overall 210 traffic moves faster.
Won’t that just tie up traffic on surface streets? Marco Ruano, chief of the office of freeway operations for Caltrans District 7, which covers Los Angeles and Ventura counties, said the agency would be closely watching the system to prevent spillover traffic.
A colleague at The Times recently posed a good question: Why does the last Metrolink train on weekdays to Orange County leave Union Station in downtown Los Angeles at 6:30 p.m.?
The last trains to Antelope Valley and San Bernardino each leave at 9 p.m. That makes it look like the O.C. is getting a raw deal.
My colleague’s problem is that his schedule can be unpredictable -- he’s answering to Times editors, after all -- and if he misses the 6:30 p.m. train, he has to wait for an 8:20 p.m. Amtrak train. So, he gets stuck driving and we’re all stuck with one more car on the road.
Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said such complaints are well-known. And she had some good news, sort of: Improvements are being made to allow Metrolink trains to run every half-hour between L.A. and the O.C. -- including runs later into the evening -- but the work will take at least two years to complete.
Reader Stephanie Schwedler got steamed when she read in this space that Fran Pavley, a candidate for state Senate, was weary of driving her Prius in heavy traffic from Agoura Hills to Santa Monica to work part time as a climate change advisor for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“I personally am sick of all these moneyed ‘green’ people that insist they are doing all they can to reduce global warming just because they bought a hybrid car,” Schwedler wrote.
“Why doesn’t Ms. Pavley put her money where her mouth is and either bike to work or take public transportation at least one day a week, to at least make someone kinda-sorta believe that she is an asset” to the environmental organization.
Ouch! On the other hand, it’s worth pointing out that Pavley’s hybrid, according to federal estimates, is probably burning about 1.5 gallons on her daily commute. The feds say the Prius is the most fuel-efficient car on the market, getting about 46 mpg.
As for mass transit, Pavley could drive to Canoga Park and catch three buses to Santa Monica. Travel time: 90 minutes to two hours, not counting drive time from Agoura and possible delays. Who says the region doesn’t have world-class mass transit?
Next week: a Thomas Guide for deer.
If you have a commuting question for the Road Sage or just need to spout off, e-mail [email protected].
