Vehicle owners, not necessarily the drivers, will get cited by speed cameras
Q: You recently said: “State lawmakers are letting seven cities, in pilot programs, put in cameras that will nab the license plate numbers of speeders, with citations then sent out to the violators.” Won’t the speeding citations be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle and not necessarily the speeding driver?
– Walt Baranger, Fullerton
A: You are correct, sir — and Honk was a bit, well, off base.
The cities and some freeway work zones in California will get these cameras meant to slow down the public.
Long Beach alone has targeted 18 intersections for them.
“(The) citation is mailed to the registered owner,” Jocelin Padilla-Razo, a spokesperson for Long Beach’s Public Works Department, told Honk in an email. “There will be an option to complete an affidavit of non-liability if the vehicle is stolen.”
The registered owner is targeted at least in part because it can be difficult to prove who was behind the wheel.
Think parking ticket.
Going more than 10 mph above the speed limit can earn the winner a $50 fine; the bill rises along with the speed. But a point won’t be slapped onto a driver’s record.
In Long Beach, at least, the photo will capture the speed demon’s license plate number, not any occupant; if a cop cites you, the automated ticket goes away.
For two months, the automated tickets will only be warnings.
Expect to see these speed cameras begin to pop up this year. Besides Long Beach and some freeway stretches, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, San Francisco and Malibu are set to get them.
Q: What is going on with the El Toro Road exits from the 5 Freeway?
– Andy O’Connor, Lake Forest
A: A $664 million project completed last year along 6.5 miles in that area added new lanes and some reconstructed interchanges. But the interchange for El Toro Road — a historic street that runs through Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods — still awaits a much-needed overhaul to reduce congestion and, frankly, driver confusion.
Construction of the interchange’s reconfiguration was to be underway by now, but narrowing down design options has taken more time than expected.
Patience, Honk is afraid, will be needed on this one, Andy.
The Orange County Transportation Authority, Caltrans and those cities are involved, with the county’s half-cent sales tax poised to pick up much, if not all, of the tab. Officials are mulling over three different designs.
There has been “extensive technical analysis and public input,” Eric Carpenter, an OCTA spokesperson, told Honk in an email. “Updated cost estimates are scheduled to be completed later this year. … The goal is to identify a preferred alternative and complete the environmental-clearance process by the end of 2026.”
It’s unclear when construction would begin.
HONKIN’ FACT: To thwart taggers, Caltrans put up fake ivy along a wall on the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month to stop the nasty vandalism. If tagging persists, the 1-by-1-foot panels of the artificial ivy can be removed, cleaned and installed again. (Source: KABC)
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