A little commentary--bearing in mind that this accident possibly had nothing to do with dangerous driving, but also understanding that it very well could have, given past history and experience. So, here goes . . .
This pole has been destroyed or damaged several times in the last several years.
Maybe some steel bollards like those used to protect a similar pole at the S-curve further east near Carriage Hills would help protect this area, too. Except that one of the S-curve bollards has been pushed back from repeated collisions to the point that it is now touching that pole. A couple more significant crashes and there'll probably be another downed pole or power outage.
Again, the cost of continued damage along Carbon Canyon Road must be somewhat substantial, though absorbed by state and local agencies and private property owners. These costs are probably not tracked with any detail and certainly not correlated, so the broad effects of dangerous driving may not be easily quantified.
For those who have to put up with the noise and the delays and other issues, though, much of this can be qualified.
It would probably take deaths, and several of them, to stir action, however, in terms of some consistent patrolling to check dangerous driving behavior.
Because, now, there is virtually none. Yet, accidents continue to happen with some regularity. Over 6 1/2 years, this blog has cataloged a significant number of incidents and certainly cannot be expected to track all of them. A reasonable person could conclude that the inventory is alarmingly high.
Except that Carbon Canyon is somewhat removed from the centers of activity (and power) in Brea and Chino Hills.
Except that there seems to be a prevailing mindset that the Canyon, to use a too-popular nonsensical term, "is what it is." In other words, we have to expect dangerous driving, accidents, and near-crashes, because it is the nature of the canyon and its serpentine roadway.
Except that it isn't. Because if it was, everyone would be crashing all the time.
The road is perfectly and easily driven without incident by the vast majority of its users. Sometimes, of course, there are pure accidents for a variety of reasons. Far more often, though, there are too many reckless drivers. They can be heard virtually every night, usually late at night, more often on weekends.
They do this, because they can. There's no one or nothing to stop them. And, there's virtually no effort to do so. And, in ten years experience, there never really has been, except for some token displays that, insignificant as they were, have gone away the last several years.
After a decade here (and there are many people who have been here far longer), it would be easy to be apathetic and think things will never change. And, they may not.
But, the concern that one reckless driver could hit an innocent driver and passengers and cause major damage, injury and death is every reason not to be (too) cynical and (too) apathetic.
Do our local leaders see and understand this?
OK, the soap box is now back in storage. Enjoy our badly-needed rain.
UPDATE, 10:30 P.M. Now the City of Chino Hills has sent out an update merely stating that work continues on the damaged power pole and lines, that there is still only one lane open on Carbon Canyon Road, and does not provide an estimate for completion, 26 1/2 hours or so after the accident.
Hold on, it's now 10:35 and the last little update was revised to say that the latest estimate for reopening the road is Midnight and that a new update from the city will come at 5 a.m.
UPDATE, 9:45 P.M. OK, 6:00 is out; they're still working and there's still just one lane open in each direction. How much is this response costing and who is paying for it?
UPDATE, 2:45 P.M. Well, this is strange. First, the anticipated reopening for Carbon Canyon Road is at 6 p.m. instead of Noon, which means those heading back east during commuter times will find it nightmarish no matter which route they take. For now, there is one lane open for both directions and a pilot vehicle is employed in getting travelers through the affected area.
Secondly, the Chino Hills notification system has erred in stating that the accident was on the Brea side--the accident was at an old familiar crash location--the intersection of Carbon Canyon and Rosemary Lane/Hillside Drive in Sleepy Hollow. Just how that misinformation could be generated when the accident happened in Chino Hills is puzzling, to say the least.
In any case, the projected reopening is 6 p.m. For now.
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| Southern California Edison crews work on the downed power pole and lines taken out by an errant driver last night on Carbon Canyon Road at Rosemary Lane/Hillside Drive in Sleepy Hollow. |
UPDATE, 11:30 P.M. The latest news on the Carbon Canyon Road closure is that CalTrans is working on repairs and that the Brea Police Department is in control of managing the situation. It is reported that there maybe access through one lane only as work is undertaken, but the update is not clear as to whether this is the case now, will be from a given time, or will be intermittent through the night.
Brea P.D. updates can be found by calling (714) 990-7732.
Chino Hills expects to provide an update at 5:45 a.m.
As of 8 p.m., Carbon Canyon Road is closed to all traffic due to accident near the line between Chino Hills and Brea just west of Sleepy Hollow.
It is reported that power lines are down and that Southern California Edison crews will be on-scene to do repairs, while some customers appear to be without electricity--this blogger, however, is 2/10 of a mile from the scene and has power.
While there was some heavy rain about an hour or so ago, it hasn't been all that strong in the last half-hour, but the roads are slick. We haven't had much rain for so long that some drivers may not be making the necessary adjustments (read: slowing down.)
More info as it becomes available will be posted.
Thank you for the updates! Was wondering whether it was a road slide or a wreck. I hope everybody's okay ...
ReplyDeleteJ.A., Mountain View Estates
Hi J.A., I thought this would be over at Noon, but we have three more hours to go (maybe.) Funny how the City of Chino Hills didn't know the accident was in the city until much later, though. Thanks for checking in.
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