Lock Query Leads to Even Bigger Mystery

Two weeks ago, we told you about an unexplained roadside ritual--the hanging of padlocks, 199 of them, in fact, on the chain-link fence on Fairview Road above the San Diego Freeway. For years, curious passersby have watched the cluster of locks grow, but no one could say who or what was behind the whole thing.

We shared the quirky story because we wanted to unlock a mystery. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

We got the news first from Costa Mesa reader Andrea Swanson: “The locks are almost gone,” she wrote in her e-mail. “I noticed only two of them today.”

Stunned, we raced out to the overpass and, sure enough, we were greeted by the sad sight of two lonely locks where a mighty army once existed. We can’t help but feel personally responsible. We called around to the city, police and Caltrans and couldn’t find anyone who confessed to, in our view, a crime against culture.

Despite the dismantling, the flood of theories about the locks continues to pour in via modem, letter and voicemail. Jacque Jacobson of Laguna Hills, for instance, said the sight of the Fairview locks reminded him of an small altar he saw years ago in a Mexico City church with padlocks laced in its ornate grillwork. A tour guide told him that the gesture signifies an answered prayer. Another reader, Sheila Brazier, said the locks recalled another tradition in China.

Costa Mesa resident Nancy Dickson believes the locks were left by college and high school students to mark their graduations, while Ray D’Andrea of Anaheim theorizes that a good Samaritan might have collected the locks that had “fallen off commercial vehicles” and put them in the public site “in hopes that they may be retrieved by their owners.”

Hmmmm. Well, we hope Ray is right. If all those locks were just returned to their rightful owners, we’d sure sleep better at night.

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ROLL OUT THE BARREL: So what’s in those freeway safety barrels (see photo)? That question was posed to us by a curious co-worker who noted that in “Speed” and other Hollywood action films, the barrels are full of water--so when a car slams into them its sends up a big splash that looks really cool in slow motion. But, our co-worker went on to say, on local freeways, barrels left crumpled from crashes appear full of sand. So what gives?

There are about 16,000 impact-absorbing barrels (their formal name is “attenuators”) dotting California freeways and not one of them is water-filled, except maybe after it rains, according to Jim Drago, a Caltrans spokesman in Sacramento.

The simple plastic barrels are packed with sand because it’s more practical and cost-effective than using water, which would require an inner lining to prevent leaks and might have a problem with evaporation.

Also, water would limit the barrels to one-time use. The sand-filled barrels can take repeated hits and, while looking pretty sad and beat-up, maintain some effectiveness.

So why do filmmakers keep using water barrels? “It looks good,” Drago guesses. “That’s Hollywood.”

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UNWELCOME SIGN: Locks weren’t the only topic on the minds of our readers. Last week we showed you an artist’s rendition of a 27-foot tower that will be planted on a Brea ridge next year to welcome visitors to Orange County. We told you opinions vary on the $300,000 creation, which resembles an oil derrick with a huge orange on top and some retro-style lettering that recalls old postcards. Here’s what you told us:

“It looks as though it might be right at home in a remote desert community with a population of 34.” --Dennis McGillis, Irvine.

“That is the ugliest monstrosity I’ve ever seen!” --Jeannie Walker, Newport Beach.

“Hokey! Hayseed! Dumb!” --Dennis Davis, Anaheim.

“The orange will only mar the hillsides.” --Holly McKnight, Brea.

“The design is so infantile. . . . It might be OK for a sixth-grade class.” --Betty Waite, Laguna Hills.

“Please let us know who we can contact and my Brea neighbors and I will rally to kill it!” --Carole Ayuso, Brea.

We told Carole and others that their best bet to protest might be contacting Brea City Council members or Orange County Transportation Authority board members. But not everyone was mad: Out of the 22 readers who responded, there was a lone voice of support for the Disney-designed tower:

“A great idea. I love it. A great-looking design and a great way to identify [the] county.” --Susan Takada, Fullerton.

Thanks for the comment, Susan. And we promise not to give out your phone number.

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JAMBOREE INVITATION: Newport Beach residents have had six months to get used to the traffic management changes at the busy intersection of Jamboree Road and Bison Avenue, and on Tuesday night they have a chance to give city officials some feedback on the issue.

Since January, there have been no left turns allowed from northbound Jamboree into the Eastbluff community, and traffic on Bison has been blocked from crossing Jamboree into the neighborhood. The goal was to route traffic out of Eastbluff, but that traffic has spilled to surrounding streets, concerning other nearby residents.

Three City Council members will be on hand for the 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday in the Corona del Mar High School gym.

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TIP OF THE WEEK: The heat is on. Triple-digit temperatures have many of us driving dizzy, especially on long rides or trips through valley and desert areas. The only thing that could make the situation worse is overheating.

The Automobile Club of Southern California reminds you that if your car temperature starts climbing, you can pull heat off the engine by shutting off your air conditioner and--brace yourself for this one--turning on the heater. It will make things more uncomfortable, but it’s not as bad as breaking down.

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The Roads Scholar wants to hear your insights, stories and questions about traffic, the commuting experience and Orange County transportation issues. You can call him at (714) 966-5724, send e-mail to geoff.boucher@ latimes.com or mail letters to him at The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626. Please include your full name, hometown and phone number.