Q. What are the short, perpendicular white lines for on the sides and middle of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, near Trancas Canyon Road?
– Kioren Moss, Ventura
A. They look like rectangles, sticking into the lane from each side.
As you drive along, they get closer and closer – so your mind thinks you are going faster and faster.
It is a neat trick traffic engineers use to get people to slow down, or to at least get drivers to glance down at the dashboard to ensure they aren’t going too fast.
Caltrans deploys them here and there – PCH is a state highway.
“They are among a variety of steps … that are taken to enhance safety,” said Michael Comeaux, a Caltrans spokesman.
You may run across them, but not too often. The engineers don’t want to overuse them so motorists become too familiar and they lose their magic.
Although a rather interesting weapon used to fight speeding, their name sure sounds like a traffic engineer created it: speed-reduction markings.
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Q. Dear Honk: Single solid white lines – what can and can’t you do in regard to them on roadways and freeways? I have also seen such lines in yellow – what is the difference?
– Michael Lyman, Orange
A. The law is color blind – there is no difference between the two.
In general, solid white lines in the instances you mentioned are meant to tell you to be cautious should you choose to cross over them, said Sergio Rivera, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol out of the Santa Ana outpost.
“White line suggests, ‘not to,’ and with the double solid lines it is, ‘you can not,’ ” he explained.
You may find those solid white lines heading into an intersection, or on a freeway where lane-switching is a bit dicey.
Of course, the white line that often runs along the left side of a roadway is a different matter – it signifies the end of the pavement.
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HONKIN’ FACT: In Orange County alone, there are 144 two-mile-long stretches along freeways or highways in Caltrans’ Adopt-A-Highway program where an individual or group ensures the shoulders are combed clean of trash. They can choose to hire others to do the deed – picking stuff up twice a month. In addition, there are three pending applications and 75 sites available for adoption, said Sheilah Fortenberry, a Caltrans spokesperson. Interested? Reach out to program coordinator Sonja Chill at sonja.chill@dot.ca.gov.
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. To see him on the social media platform X: @OCRegisterHonk