Your Tax Dollars at Work Killing People

Because of previous deaths caused by idle traffic control devices being hit by vehicles, the Caltrans Standard Specifications Section "CONSTRUCTION AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES" states to "Remove portable changeable message sign when not in use." However these photos, taken during July to December 2008, show that the policy is not taken seriously.



For months now, there have been numerous arrow boards idle on the shoulders around the County, even at same location where they have been hit by vehicles. even behind barriers, these idle sign cause reflections of taillights or oncoming headlights which distract drivers. Caltrans Policy requires the signs to be removed, and the Safety Coordinator and Senior Construction Engineer previously agreed that these should not be in the Right of Way when idle.

The Caltrans Standard Specifications Section 12-4.01 "MEASUREMENT AND PAYMENT" states that the Contractor can get paid for having the sign out there "as directed by the Engineer" so these contractors and maintenance crews could be charging the projects extra for the idle signs. The photos below were taken weeks apart, yet the unused sign with cone are still in the same place, and even is blocking the construction sign.



On a Saturday in 2005, the contractor on the Castillo Repaving job left a CMS board at the highway shoulder, and a vehicle struck it, killing a man. The Caltrans inspector on the job later had another job on which another vehicular death occurred, and although he was accused of destroying evidence before the investigators arrived, the inspector was nominated for, and presented with, a safety award by his Caltrans supervisor, Alan Haag.