Q: In your last column about new traffic laws, you noted that Caltrans would possibly have the authority to place speed cameras to cite culprits who are causing havoc. I have a situation in Newport Beach that needs the attention, as I have a group of speed demons who have turned our streets into raceways, which, in addition to creating an unsafe situation, creates unbearable noise. Do you know who to contact in Caltrans to see whether there are any plans for installing cameras here, or how to get on the list for planned installations?<\/p>\n
\u2013 Michael Hollowaty, Newport Beach<\/p>\n
A: Michael, Honk lives catty-corner from an elementary school, and he shakes his noggin like a bobblehead in disgust when speeders fly by.<\/p>\n
But these speed cameras aren\u2019t coming soon to his neighborhood or yours.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Malibu, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco are getting them. Expect the cameras to go on major streets and not inside neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Those going 11 mph above the speed limit will get fined at least $50. If the scofflaw was going 16 ot 25 mph over, then the tab will be $100. For 26 to 99 mph above the limit, $200; and it will be $500 for the truly insane going 100 mph over the speed limit.<\/p>\n
The Caltrans\u2019 pilot program, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), will have the same fines. A spokesperson for his office said Caltrans will come up with a plan on where its 35 cameras should go; they must be in construction zones on freeways.<\/p>\n
A citation does not cost drivers any points on their driver\u2019s licenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s scary,\u201d the spokesperson said about how many workers and drivers are killed in a freeway work zone. \u201cThere needs to be some sort of program \u2014 this is a high-risk area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect to see at least some of the cities\u2019 speed cameras going live this year. It\u2019s unclear when Caltrans\u2019 speed cameras will be installed.<\/p>\n
The speed-camera concept certainly isn\u2019t new \u2014 it has been deployed in other states for years.<\/p>\n
Q: Hi Honk:\u00a0Is it legal for bicyclists to cycle past stop signs and red traffic lights without stopping?<\/p>\n
\u2013 Anna Bussjaeger, Glendale<\/p>\n
A: \u201cNo,\u201d said Brian Kinsey, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to follow the Vehicle Code, just like other vehicles,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have all of the same rights and responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is an exception, Kinsey pointed out.<\/p>\n
If on a traffic signal, the walking man tells pedestrians they can go, then so can bicyclists if safe, even against a red light.<\/p>\n
HONKIN\u2019 FACT: Remember how Honk mentioned last month that rocker Joe Walsh, who sings in \u201cLife\u2019s Been Good\u201d how his Maserati does 185, was auctioning off his 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500? Well, it went for $102,400<\/a>, according to Julien\u2019s Auctions. The auction house had estimated the winning bid would be $70,000 to $80,000.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Q: In your last column about new traffic laws, you noted that Caltrans would possibly have the authority…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,138,3159,62821,100,136,1967],"class_list":["post-127832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-crime-and-public-safety","tag-driving","tag-honk","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-transportation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}