Bottleneck Alert: Interstate 5

Heads up: There will be various lane closures over the next few days around Interstate 5 between the 118 and 14 (part of the carpool lane widening of the 5). Here are the details.

Caltrans cleaning up its act

Caltrans announced a new brush clearance plan today along the 405 Freeway and other high-risk areas. The move comes after The Times' Duke Helfand reported on complaints from city fire officials that the road agency isn't clearing enough brush:

Caltrans’ compliance with the Los Angeles Fire Department’s brush- clearance requirements became an urgent issue because of the extremely dry conditions in the Southland, said Assemblyman Mike Feuer, a former Los Angeles councilman. The Southland is weathering its driest season on record, with only about 3.2 inches of rain in the metro area since July 1, with hot, dry weather conditions anticipated through the fall months. "I am pleased that Caltrans and LAFD are moving rapidly to keep our communities safe," said Feuer, D-Los Angeles. "Each agency has appointed a high level official to coordinate efforts to ensure that we succeed. Given the early onset of this year’s fire season, we have no time to waste ..." The joint operations plan will identify, prioritize and expedite the brush-removal projects, Feuer said. Several dozen workers will remove brush, weeds and overgrown vegetation from about 45 acres of fire-prone land along freeways running through the city. The "prioritized areas" include the Sepulveda Pass area of the San Diego (405) Freeway, where work has already begun. (CNS)

Gas prices: Can you feel it?

Gas prices actually went down a bit this week in Southern California -- but experts say you probably won't notice it at the pump:

Southland gasoline prices dropped slightly this week after increasing for 14 consecutive weeks, but it is too soon to tell if prices will continue to decrease, the Automobile Club of Southern California said today. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular unleaded was $3.462 in Los Angeles County today, 2 cents less last week, 15 cents more than last month and 6 cents more than at this time last year. The Orange County average price is $3.451, 2.6 cents less than last week. "The price decrease is probably barely noticeable to consumers when they’re already paying so much for gas," Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp said. "At least the numbers are heading in the right direction -- down. But it’s still too early to tell if this is true relief or just a price plateau." (CNS)

CSI on the 91 Freeway

Authorities think they have a "cold case" murder on their hands after work crews dug up the remains of a human body along the 91 Freeway near the 241 in Anaheim Hills. Officials believe they had found another buried body in the same area a decade ago:

Bones found by a Caltrans crew along the Riverside (91) Freeway Thursday appear to be those of a human adult that have been in the ground some 10 to 20 years, police said. The bones were found about 4 p.m. alongside the eastbound portion of the freeway, just west of the Eastern Transportation (241) Corridor by a crew that was repairing a fence damaged during an accident, said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez. An anthropologist from Riverside County made the assessment, but gender was not immediately known. Martinez said the bone appeared to be that of a leg, although ``they haven't identified it as yet.'' (CNS)

Preparing for the building boom

With Interstate 5 through North L.A. County set to see a construction boom in the next decade (more than 50,000 homes from Newhall to Tejon), Caltrans is talking about freeway improvements. The Signal says they include carpool lanes and a "truck climbing lane":

According to the California Department of Transportation, currently 50 million vehicles travel through the I-5 corridor from the Port of Long Beach to the Santa Clarita Valley each year, and the department said I-5 will undergo a series of projects to help relieve an increase in that congestion over the next 30 years. And this summer, the county plans to start construction on the Hasley Canyon interchange in Castaic. The project will include a bridge replacement and the construction of roundabouts to ease congestion. That project is expected to be completed by early 2010. Long-term projects for the freeway include the construction of a carpool lane as well as a truck climbing lane from Highway 14 to Castaic. Caltrans spokeswoman Maria Raptis said that half a million trucks pass through the Santa Clarita Valley section of the freeway each month. Construction on the $259 million project is expected to begin in the summer of 2010.

U-turn danger on PCH

Six motorists who made U-turns on Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica and Malibu have been killed, according to a review of records by the Surfside News. Now, officials are talking about how to improve safety on PCH:

Thirty-five miles of bright yel­low plastic paddles from Mc­Clure Tunnel all the way to Las Posas Road may be the only way to keep motorists from making the type of illegal U-turns on Pacific Coast Highway that have killed six people over two years, one official says. A 77-year-old woman was the latest casualty, killed at Zuma Beach last week when she was ejected from the vehicle driven by her 80-year-old husband as he made an illegal U-turn at the exact spot where two people were killed by another U-turn accident five months ago. Locals had complained publicly in 1999 that the state’s re­moval of a curb median down the center of Pacific Coast Highway at Zuma would lead to an increase in deadly U-turn accidents. In the past three years, six persons have been killed in accidents on the local stretch PCH caused by illegal U-turns. Records show that most of the drivers were from out of town, but one was a longtime Malibu resident.

Deer on the 101

The 101 Freeway was shut in the West Valley for a while because some deer got on the roadway. It's now reopened.

Riverside interchange indigestion

The epic freeway construction work underway at the 60-91-215 interchange in Riverside will result in detours for the next few days:

Motorists trying to get on the westbound Riverside (91) Freeway from the 60 and 215 freeways tomorrow night will have to take a detour onto city streets while crews make repairs in the area. The westbound 91 from the 60/91/215 Interchange to Mission Inn Avenue will be shut down between 11 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday so crews can expand a drainage system around Mulberry Street, according to Caltrans. Motorists trying to make a transition from the southbound 215 Freeway onto the 91, or the eastbound 60 Freeway onto the 91, will be detoured onto Market Street in Riverside. Drivers will take Market to University Avenue and use the Lime Street on- ramp to get on the 91, according to Caltrans. The length of the detour is between one and two miles. (CNS)

Tunneling through

Caltrans recently finished cleaning the freeway tunnels of L.A. County (the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica at left). It's the first cleaning since 2001, and Inside Seven says it is a more complex job than you might think:

The crew uses equipment specifically designed for this purpose: a truck with a five-foot- tall articulated arm that spins at high speed against a tunnel wall while spraying hot, soapy water. This vehicle is followed by a large tanker truck of rinse water. Measures to ensure the water does not escape into drains are scrupulously followed. Before the operation begins, the tunnels are sealed off at the entrance and exit. A huge vacuum at one end sucks up all the water. “The equipment is pretty cool,” says Maintenance Deputy Dan Freeman. “It moves about as fast as you can walk.”

Free ride on bike, bus

Should we be doing this everyday? The MTA and other local transit agencies are giving cyclists a break today as part of 'Bike to Work' day:

Riders boarding with a bicycle or safety helmet will receive free rides on MTA buses and Metro Rail, Beach Cities Transit, Commerce Municipal Bus Lines, Gardena Municipal Bus Lines, Long Beach Transit, Los Angeles Department of Transportation Commuter Express, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit System, Santa Clarita Transit, Torrance Transit and Whittier Transit. Nearly all MTA buses are equipped with bicycle racks and many rail stations have bike storage or parking facilities. Most buses have only two bike racks. If they are occupied, the rider may be asked to wait for the next bus. (CNS)

The greening of the 22

The freeway is done. Now, officials are beginning to plant greenery around the 22 Freeway -- a lot of it. The Register counts 2.5 million groundcover plants, 1,500 trees and 15,00 shrubs. And 600,000 feet of irrigation pipe:

A $12-million effort to install irrigation and replant trees, shrubs and groundcover along 12 miles of the freeway that provides a vital east-west corridor through Orange County is set to begin within the next two weeks. Officials expect it will take until Nov. 30 to install more than 15,000 sprinklers and 2.5 million-plus plants. "What we hear over and over is, 'We want it green.' And that's what we're setting out to do now," said Rick Grebner, the Orange County Transportation Authority's project manager for the 22.

Mid-Wilshire traffic madness

Look for some worse-than-normal traffic Thursday night in the Mid-Wilshire area:

Immigrant rights groups will renew their call for legislative reforms tonight with a candlelight procession to MacArthur Park. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is scheduled to kick off the event at Immanuel Presbyterian Church at 5 p.m. Marchers will then head down Wilshire Boulevard to the park, where there will be a rally featuring Chinese dancers, Korean drummers and speeches by union and immigrant rights leaders. The rally is scheduled to run from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m.  Several streets will be closed from 2 to 10 p.m. They include Wilshire Boulevard between Catalina and Alvarado streets, and Park View and Berendo streets between 6th and 7th streets. (LAT)

Click it in South Bay

Heads up in the South Bay, where they take "Click It of Ticket" week seriously:

Torrance Police Department officials announced today it is joining several other Southern California departments in targeting drivers and passengers who don’t wear their seat belts, it was announced today. The Torrance "Click It or Ticket" campaign will run through June 3, according to Lt. Rod Irvine of the Torrance Police Department. Similar campaigns are underway in Carson, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lomita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach and Rolling Hills Estates. Fines for failing to properly buckling up any child under the age of 6 ranges from $330 to $401 for a first offense, and up to $971 for a second offense. Fines for adult occupants are between $80 and $91, depending on the jurisdiction. (CNS)

Delays in East L.A.

Heads up on some upcoming construction work related to the Gold Line extension:

Metro construction crews will re-stripe a segment of Third Street, between Herbert Avenue and Rowan Avenue in East Los Angeles, Thursday, May 16 for one night only, and then detour traffic to the north side of the street in order to begin street restoration work on the south side for the next six weeks. Work will take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents and motorist should expect cones, concrete barriers and arrow boards to help them move throughout the area minimizing the impacts to the community. (From MTA)

Sidewalks of L.A.

Blogdowntown complains about how all the construction downtown has caused sidewalks to be closed off -- sometimes with no alternatives for pedestrians:

On the way to a meeting yesterday Bert Green and I were walking past the LAPD HQ construction at 1st and Main. Bert remarked that Los Angeles was the only place he'd seen where a sidewalk closed off by construction wasn't replaced by some sort of walkway blocked off in the street. Sidewalks get closed off regularly Downtown, and it's entirely true that it's very rare to see that pedestrian linkage replaced. In fact the only spot Downtown where I can name a pedestrian accommodation is Flower street in front of 717 W. 9th. Even there I'd suspect we wouldn't see that walkway if it weren't for the fact that the opposite sidewalk has already long been closed by construction of Market Lofts. (Photo from Blogdowntown).

Slowing down in London

Could this work in Southern California? Officials in London have proposed a 20 mph limit on all roads in London, citing concerns about safety:

The Greens propose that 20mph would become the "default" limit on all London roads and councils would have to make a special case to exempt strategic routes such as bus routes and trunk roads. The limit would be enforced by new speed cameras. At the same time, thousands of road humps, pinch-points and chicanes would be removed. Ms Jones said: "Making 20mph the normal speed limit would save lives and money and give a major boost to cyclists, who would feel safer." Roger Geffen of cyclists' organisation CTC, said: "20mph makes sense not just for road safety; it also means cleaner air, less congestion and more people taking up cycling and walking. It would cut costs and bureaucracy enormously."

Smarter by half

We've heard so much about the "revolutionary" smart car. Now Times auto critic Dan Neil drives one. He find they are babe magnets and get good mileage. But he's not completely sold.
"Lovable, only don't hug too hard," he says:

Cute? Oh my God, yes. It couldn't be any cuter if it were buried up to its neck in kittens. Attention grabbing? Ice cream trucks playing "La Bamba" at 100 decibels don't get more notice. Likable? It's irresistible. The Smart is a rolling sight gag, like a fat man wearing a tiny bowler hat, or a Speedo. Safe? Can we go back to "likable"? At roughly a third the weight of a large luxury sedan — like Mercedes' S-class — the Fortwo would be at a profound Newtonian disadvantage in most any vehicle-to-vehicle collision.

Ask the Bottleneck Blog: Shuttle service

Why is it so easy to jump on a shuttle to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl -- but not at the Music Center or Disney Hall?Would Westside art patrons be willing to take a bus downtown on a Friday night for the opera or ballet? Would sports fans from the San Fernando Valley consider leaving their cars at home when they head to a Lakers game?

Los Angeles city officials are exploring the idea of creating "specially tailored public transit service for cultural events."On Tuesday, the city’s Transportation Committee plans to create a task force of transit officials and representatives of downtown entertainment venues to advise them on how to proceed. The motion mentions "world-class music and theater" and Staples Center events. But don’t forget the Dodgers. With higher parking prices and a new parking plan, more baseball fans might be willing to get on the bus.

Expo Line: Get on that hard hat!

California Construction reports that the Expo Line is expect to actually begin construction in earnest in the next month. Sounds like workers will face the biggest hurdles with grade separations, stations and "aesthetics."

A joint venture team comprised of FCI Constructors, Fluor and Parsons will build the Exposition Light Rail Line along an old railroad right-of-way. The area for the track is narrow and is in densely developed area, says Ray Hughes, project manager for FCI Constructors. DMJM Harris will also provide engineering design on the project. "The laying of the track is the easy part," says Hughes. The more difficult aspects of the job are the grade crossings, station facilities and tying into the existing Blue Line, he adds. The Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority has departed from the typical light rail transit in the Exposition line design, says Tom Wilson, vice president with Parsons and design manager for the joint venture. The authority wants to develop an attractive transit parkway with landscaping and other elements of urban design, Wilson adds, but making the rail line aesthetically pleasing in such an urban area will be a challenge.

MTA not happy with Arnold

The MTA says the governor's new budget has bad news for bus and rail riders:

Many others were more critical, particularly local governments, which stand to lose about $1 billion in public transit money. Roger Snoble, chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the agency might have to reduce its planned purchase of new buses and rail cars. "It's just going to add to the misery," said Snoble, whose agency would lose $230 million under Schwarzenegger's plan. "It's going to affect everybody who moves in Los Angeles County."

Malibu crackdown

Heads up on a new enforcement campaign in the Malibu area:

Deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills station are looking for seat belt scofflaws as part of a three-week operation starting today. "The intent of the 'Click it or Ticket’ campaign is simple -- to save lives and prevent injuries," said sheriff’s Capt. Thomas Martin. Stepped-up enforcement in the coastal patrol area will continue through June 3, he said. Under state law, everyone in a vehicle must be wearing a seat belt, including back-seat passengers. Fines start around $80 for first-time violators and, if children younger than 6 are not properly secured, can be about $400, according to the sheriff’s department. (CNS)

Slow speed for high-speed rail

The governor's new budget doesn't offer the financial good news backers of the bullet train proposal were hoping for:

Despite a recent statement of support, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger included little additional money for California’s high-speed rail project in his revised state budget proposal - and most of the new funding has a string attached. The Republican governor on Monday proposed a $5.2 million 2007-08 budget for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, up from about $1.2 million he offered in January. Most of that additional money - $3.5 million - would come from the Orange County Transportation Authority, not the state treasury. (AP)

Fixing South OC traffic

South Orange County has seen major population growth in the last two decades, and now transportation officials are trying to catch up with a $1.2 million study looking at ways to ease congestion on the Interstate 5 corridor, The Times' Dave Reyes reports:

The area, which includes unincorporated county territory and 14 cities, has undergone major changes during the last 20 years that have placed heavy demands on the freeway and transportation systems, said Kia Mortazavi, OCTA's executive director of development. Lured, among other things, by newer homes, wider streets and good schools, residents have rapidly moved to South County, creating cities such as Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel and a population now exceeding half a million. In 1980, 205,000 lived there. By 2030, according to OCTA, the number of miles traveled on South County freeways is expected to have increased 45% from what it was in 2000.

Thank God for Miami!

Miami -- along with New York and Boston -- again top L.A. in a survey of cities with the rudest drivers. Even one Miami driver agrees L.A.'s roads are downright friendly by comparison:

Miami motorists said they saw other drivers slam on their brakes, run red lights and talk on cell phones, according to AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance. Other cities near the top of the rude drivers list were New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. South Miami resident Erik Pinto told The Associated Press he's probably seen every bad driving habit on Miami's roads. "You don't want to know what I've seen," Pinto said. "I've seen everything. I'm from L.A., and we don't see the crazy drivers that you see here."

Check out the Top 20 below:

Going for gold

We've reached the half-way point in the MTA's Eastside Gold Line extension project, and the agency says it's on time and under budget (rendering of Indiana Street station left). Officials offered a good summary of what work is now being done:

-Construction of at-grade street level stations at Atlantic and Little Tokyo/Arts District is underway along the right-of-way. Workers are installing rail tracks and overhead power lines.

-The bridge over the 101 Freeway is complete and installation of the overhead power system and track there also will soon begin. Improvements along First Street in Boyle Heights and Third Street in East Los Angeles at the station sites are moving forward including street reconstruction, paving, new color sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping, street lights and traffic signals.

-Construction of the two underground stations (Boyle Heights/Mariachi Plaza and Soto) is proceeding. Work on interior walls in Boyle heights/Mariachi Plaza and the track level concrete floor of Soto Station are in process.

-Tunneling operations concluded in late 2006 and LA Metro construction crews are working on the concrete track slab, walkway, and cross-passages inside the 1.7 mile twin tunnels beneath Boyle Heights. The concrete work for the East and West portals entrance to the tunnels is almost complete.

Growth strains the 5

North L.A. County is in the midst of a major building boom, and the freeways aren't keeping up. The region expects 50,000+ new homes, many along the Interstate 5 corridor between Newhall Ranch and the new Centenial development. The Signal says Caltrans is doing what it can to make some improvements:

Currently under construction is a $50 million second phase of a project funded by the city of Santa Clarita to improve the Magic Mountain Parkway freeway interchange. And this summer, the county plans to start construction on the Hasley Canyon interchange in Castaic. The project will include a bridge replacement and the construction of roundabouts to ease congestion. That project is expected to be completed by early 2010. Long-term projects for the freeway include the construction of a carpool lane as well as a truck climbing lane from Highway 14 to Castaic. Caltrans spokeswoman Maria Raptis said that half a million trucks pass through the Santa Clarita Valley section of the freeway each month. Construction on the $259 million project is expected to begin in the summer of 2010.

Gas (mileage) wars

The battle over gas mileage standards is heating up -- and California is at the center of it:

Lawyers for a dozen states and several environmental groups told a federal appeals court Monday that the Bush administration failed to consider global warming when setting new gas mileage rules. The plaintiffs, led by California’s attorney general, told the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that federal regulators ignored the effects of carbon dioxide emissions when calculating fuel economy standards for light trucks and sport utility vehicles. The new mileage standards, announced in March 2006, require an increase in the average fuel economy for all passenger trucks sold in the United States from 22.2 miles per gallon to 23.5 miles per gallon by 2010. Speaking outside the courthouse, Attorney General Jerry Brown called the increase "pathetic" and said it "has the hand of lobbying, not the mind of science." Lawyers for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which sets the mileage standards, called the cost of greenhouse emissions from vehicles "unquantifiable" and said prioritizing their reduction went beyond the agency’s legal mandate. (AP)

Bottleneck up there

It's slow going this week in the High Desert: Major road construction at Sierra Highway and Pearblossom Highway in Lancaster will cause significant delays beginning today for a full week, officials said. The approach to the intersection will be reduced to one lane, said Gary Boze of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Crews will be adding a right turn lane pocket on Sierra Highway to improve traffic flow. (CNS)

Red-light camera is on

Heads up if you are in the Valley today: At noon, Los Angeles police will activate a red light camera at Sherman Way and Louise Avenue in Reseda. For the first 30 days, warnings will be mailed to red-light runners, police say. After that, tickets will cost about $381. (CNS)

Streetcar named Long Beach

Long Beach officials on Tuesday will discuss the idea of building a light-rail line that would connect downtown Long Beach (which is already served by the Blue Line) with points east including Cal State Long Beach. It's in the very early stages, but it's main backer tells the PT Redondo Avenue could be part of the route:

City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal has a desire for streetcars, and she's asking fellow council members to back her plan to use mass transit to connect downtown with CSULB and other points of interest. Lowenthal has placed on Tuesday's City Council agenda a request for an independent study on the feasibility of developing east-west streetcar service in Long Beach. The linkage could include Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach City College, the East Village Arts District, Long Beach Memorial and St. Mary Medical Center.

Cheated at the pump?

The Times' Liz Douglass explains why you are not getting as much gas as you think at the pump:

Here's another way you're getting pinched at the pump: Paying for, say, five gallons of fuel doesn't mean you're getting a full five gallons. Fuel expands when temperatures rise. And because gasoline station nozzles don't adjust for the change, motorists and truckers end up with less of the energy that keeps engines humming. The shortfall means that California motorists could be losing 3 cents on every gallon, by one estimate. But the pennies add up, especially with the average gas price soaring to a state record of $3.489 a gallon Tuesday. With drivers in the state using almost 16 billion gallons of gas a year, hot fuel could be costing them nearly $480 million annually. The overcharge is rampant, legal and hard for consumers to spot. But it's no secret. Oil companies acknowledge it and regulators allow it. One company developed a device to fix the disparity but shelved the product after dealers resisted. Now the issue is generating heat among consumer activists, lawmakers and beleaguered fuel pumpers.

Below is a useful Q&A Liz wrote about this issue and some stats:

Slow train to Perris

There has been a push to bring commuter rail service to several fast-growing parts of the Inland Empire. But the PE reports it's an uphill battle.

A bill meant to help bring Metrolink commuter rail service to downtown Perris and Moreno Valley stalled at its first committee hearing Monday after some union groups objected. The Riverside County Transportation Commission wants the Perris Valley Line to be in service by 2010. The agency estimates that, once built, the 22.7-mile Perris extension will take 6,000 cars a day off local highways and eliminate almost 22,000 tons of heat-trapping gases each year. Monday's bill would have let the transportation commission hire one company to design and build the rail extension as a way to save time and money. Metrolink already has such authority, known as design-build.

Walking to 210

Ever want to walk on a freeway? Here's you chance in June along a new stretch of the 210:

As State Route 210 construction nears completion in Rialto and San Bernardino, the whole community is invited to “Come Play on the Freeway: The Finale!” on June 23. “This is your chance to get a sneak peak of this brand new freeway before it opens,” said Tony Grasso, executive director of San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), which is building the final 7.25-mile section connecting the freeway with Interstate 210 and Route 30. “We’re excited that this last stretch of freeway is nearly complete, and we want the community to celebrate with us.”

Tollroad fight gets interesting

Now, it's getting interesting. Rep. Loretta Sanchez's seeming opposition to the extension of the 241 tollroad through South Orange County has raised the ire of some. The OCR's editorial board -- big fans of toll roads, no doubt -- say she's essentially voting in favor of more traffic and gridlock:

When politicians help secure funding for a new road, they might eventually find their name gracing a placard on a sound wall, for, say, "the Congressman Smith Memorial Byway." We're wondering what type of placard to erect to U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the Garden Grove Democrat who used her influence to try to stop the construction of a much-needed toll-road extension in south Orange County. Perhaps, Caltrans can eventually put a plaque on a sound wall on the congested Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway, with something to this effect: "Added congestion brought to you through the tireless (tiresome?) efforts of Congresswoman Sanchez."

Meanwhile, Doug Green in his weekly surfing column praises those trying to block to toll road:

Two victories have been scored in the fight to save San Onofre, a dirt-road paradise of a surf spot that sits in the cross hairs in the battle for an Orange County toll road. This is frustrating for the forces of progress, who want to relieve traffic congestion in trafficky, overgrown South Orange County. Also for developers who want to build new coastal towns, tentatively to be named Los Gatos Gordos, Pseudovillias and San Luis Rey de los Condos.

 

Texting while driving

It turns out that officials are investigating allegations that the accident that seriously injured New Jersey's governor might have been caused in part because his driver was reading a text message (the driver's union denies this). In any case, that has fueled efforts in that state to ban texting while driving:

New Jersey legislators Thursday pushed forward a plan to make it illegal to text message while driving. The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee voted unanimously to release the proposal after several legislators admitted frequently firing off text messages while behind the wheel, even though they know doing so is dangerous. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty acknowledges doing it himself, but he's not proud of it