Drag racing on Crown Valley Speedway. A great way to end the year.

9 p.m. and onward. Drag racing on Crown Valley Speedway, northbound and southbound, between Alicia and Del Avion. And this isn't just speeding, this is actual drag racing where two or more cars are battling it out, tearing away from the traffic signals, jockeying for position, sometimes hitting more than 80 mph. City officials and OC sheriff: this has got to stop in 2012. This is ridiculous; you are not doing your job. Shame on you. Ignoring the problems here and acting like everything is so wonderful here does not make problems go away. Drag racing is happening in this city, every week: face the facts.

70 percent with their phone to their ear?

11:30 a.m. While waiting at the light to turn left from La Paz Speedway into Plaza de La Paz, I watch seven cars making the right turn out of the Plaza, heading southbound on La Paz: Five of the seven drivers are on their cell phone with their phone to their head. What? Seventy percent of the drivers turning right in those 45 seconds have their cell phone to their head! Amazing. Not unheard of on the roads here but, nonetheless, telling of the poor drivers in this city.

Jogger has to bump into a black SUV at Pacific Island Drive and Alicia Speedway

4:20 p.m. A black SUV turning right from Pacific Island Drive onto Alicia Speedway, runs the red light and bumps into a jogger in the crosswalk. The jogger has to put his hands onto the SUV to brace himself from getting hit. Fortunately, the jogger was smart enough, and quick enough, not to get hurt. Whether you are a pedestrian or cyclist--or a good driver--dodging the poor drivers is a constant game here.

Illegal exhaust systems are annoying to thousands of us

5:55 p.m. Southbound on Crown Valley Speedway, south of Clubhouse, a black BMW with screaming exhaust system, is speeding away at more than 70 mph. For those residents who live in Laguna Woods and around National Park Drive, and West Nine, the blare of racing cars is almost constant -- and in violation of state and local noise ordinances. Enforcement of noise issues: where are you officers?

Motorcyclist makes a U-turn ... across the landscape median

3 p.m. A motorcyclist northbound on Golden Lantern, just past St. Christopher, can't wait to get to the next intersection, so he hops onto the landscape median and makes a U-turn across the median, then speeds off at more than 75 mph southbound on Golden Lantern Speedway.

Run a red at Niguel and Alicia Speedways. Now I'm in control of something for a change.

2 p.m. A man in a white Porsche SUV runs the red light westbound on Niguel at Alicia Speedway, then honks at a driver who has legally turned right from Niguel. The Porsche swerves out of the right lane, gives the legal driver the finger, and speeds away up Niguel Speedway. Rudeness prevails in this city. The frustration that people feel (as the economy continues to tank) is evident on our roads. When people feel they have little control over their lives (and their mortgage lender is breathing down their neck) it is most common for people to exert their frustration in an environment over which they feel they have control: their cars. Studies show this behavior is not only prevalent in suburbia but is manifesting itself even more strongly. And we see it here everyday.

Speedracers on Crown Valley. Welcome to our city of noisy Speedways.

1:15 p.m. It's been a lovely day of speed-racing roadiots on Crown Valley Speedway, mainly those heading southbound, south of Hillhurst. There's road construction in front of the library so that backs people up for about two minutes. Then the worst of the drivers decide they have to speed away at more than 70 mph to get to  .... what? Just more racing and driving dangerously (and loudly) ... welcome to life in Laguna Niguel. We are one big thoroughfare for all the adjacent cities. C'mon residents and city staff ... it's time to fix things here for the people who live here.

As usual, phone to head, wheels to curb

9:50 a.m. Exiting the Town Center shopping area, southbound toward city hall, a young woman in her silver Toyota Yaris has her hot pink phone to her head and she runs into the curb as she drives up the hill to make a left turn onto Alicia Speedway toward the City Hall. Does anyone realize how often people hit curbs around here because they have their phone to their head? We see it all the time. Heaven help anybody walking or bicycling on these streets.

Run a red light instead of waiting your turn

3 p.m. An older man in a white Mercedes SUV, waiting to make a left turn in the signaled lane from Crown Valley onto Club House Drive, didn't want to wait for his light to turn green, so he turned left against a red light. Fortunately, the three cars behind him in line waited until the light turned green.

The Ultimate Roadiot in an Altima

1:20 p.m. Northbound on Greenfield, a man in a dark brown Altima was the ultimate Roadiot (road-idiot), tailing everyone, and cutting off drivers to make his way to the toll road entrance. Then he ran the red light to make the left turn onto the entrance ramp.

Running a red makes me feel special! (during my midlife crisis)

1 p.m. Northbound on La Paz Speedway at Avila Road, a man in a black Corvette runs the red light as he makes a left turn. The three cars at our green light on La Paz Speedway have to wait for the Corvette to make his illegal turn, otherwise, we'd get hit. Also, ten minutes later, the Corvette shows up again, southbound on Alicia Speedway, doing more than 65 mph.

Welcome to the city of bumper cars!

12:30 p.m. A woman, with her cell phone to her head, enters the Plaza de La Paz shopping center, from La Paz Speedway, runs over the curb turning into the Sprouts parking lot, then runs over a second curb turning into the Union Bank parking area. There are so many self-absorbed drivers around here, the curbs are used as bumper pads constantly. Just check out the skid marks along every speedway street curb.

Parc Vista Speedway in Marina Hills

3:40 p.m. Parc Vista, the loop road on the backside of Marina Hills, is a Speedway. Today, two cars, a BMW and a small Ford, decided they needed to drag race, lane drift, and violate noise ordinances on this road. Very dangerous, since there are plenty of blind intersections along the street, and residents who otherwise think the roads are safe around here won't be driving defensively enough to avoid roadiots (that's our new term for road idiots).

Running reds ... a common occurrence in Laguna Niguel

11:45 a.m. Southbound on Golden Lantern Speedway and Via Ladera (at Trader Joe's), the light turns red for the traffic on Golden Lantern, but a driver in a gray Ford pickup decides he'll run the red, three seconds after it has turned red (that's a long time). Luckily the driver turning left into the TJ's parking lot stops to allow the violator to get through the intersection.

Speed through a left turn and hit the curb

10 a.m. A driver in a white Honda sedan, southbound on Alicia Speedway, is turning left into Town Center Drive, she waits, and waits, and waits (the availability for turning left in-or-out of Town Center at Alicia is ridiculous—it's a really poor design relative to the traffic signal timing at the feeder streets of Crown Valley and Pacific Island Drive) and then she finally cuts in front of three cars headed toward her on Alicia, speeds through her turn and hits the curb at Town Center. Perhaps all the city staff who sits at City Hall overlooking these crazy intersections is paying attention.

"I'm on my phone while I put students at risk ..."

2:45 p.m. A woman in a large, black Ford SUV, southbound on Alicia Speedway south of Aliso Creek, is speeding and has her phone to her head. Many students are walking home from school on the sidewalk along Alicia. The driver drifts into the bike lane, crosses it, hits the curb, and swerves back into the driving lane. Had she jumped the curb, this would have been a horrible accident. After scuffing the curb, she sped off, across three lanes, without signaling and without putting her phone down.

Put a lighted pizza sign on your roof, then you can spend the evening speeding.

6 p.m. If you have a lighted Domino's Pizza sign on the roof of your car, it's sort of like having a flashing light siren on your car, you can spend the evening speeding. Westbound on Hillhurst, in a 25 mph zone, west of Niguel Speedway, the pizza guys speed through here constantly. Slow down, guys. Your pizza's bad enough, but your driving skills are even worse.

Danger! Walking in a crosswalk can be risky here.

5:30 p.m. A woman and two children are crossing Golden Lantern Speedway, in the crosswalk, with a walk signal, at Hidden Hills. A man turning right from Hidden Hills to Golden Lantern does not stop on the red light, and narrowly avoids hitting the three people in the crosswalk. The pedestrians have to stop in the crosswalk to let the car make its sacred turn. Welcome to the city where the car is worshipped.

A carload of kids, a phone to my head, and I'll cut you off ...

2:20 p.m. A woman in a white Denali, northbound on Moulton Speedway north of Aliso Creek is driving faster than 60 mph, swerving among cars, trying desperately to pass everyone, with her phone to her head. Soccer practice must be extremely important to this mother ... but her children's safety is not.

Downhill racer takes to the slopes ....

9:45 a.m. A black BMW eastbound on Highlands Avenue heads toward Alicia Speedway at more than 70 mph, lane drifting as if the entire road is his. It's a downhill speed racer, common on this street.

The roads are clear, so I can race ...

5 a.m. For whatever reason, a flood of motorcycles sped noisily, violating noise ordinances, for an hour northbound on Crown Valley Speedway. We feel sorry for the thousands of residents who can't sleep past dawn, or have trouble getting to sleep, when they live within earshot of the noisy speedways traversing our city. We live in a community of created speedways, for the benefit of adjacent cities, but to the detriment of our own city.

Dueling racers on Crown Valley Speedway

3:43 p.m. A black Honda and a cheesed-out Infinity are drag racing northbound on Crown Valley Speedway toward Hillhurst, violating noise ordinances with after-market exhaust that breaks every rule. Has there ever been any enforcement of road noise violations in Laguna Niguel? The problem is endemic, and the city needs to be doing their job.

I'll hit the curb while I check my lips ...

11:30 a.m. A woman driving a black Land Rover, southbound on Crown Valley Speedway, just south of Rolling Hills, is checking her lips, constantly, rubbing her finger around them, pinching them (has she just come from her trout-mouth specialist?) while she is speeding and lane drifting to pass cars, then hits the curb (luckily, a bicyclist was 100 yards ahead of her), then comes back into her lane, then grabs her phone and puts it to her head once she reaches Golden Lantern.

A very common maneuver: pass on the right in a dedicated turn lane

2:20 p.m. A young woman in a white Mercedes, southbound on Crown Valley Speedway is trying to get around the other drivers who are at the speed limit, and as she approaches Pacific Island Drive, she accelerates to more than 65 mph into the right-turn only lane, but drives straight, to bypass the legal drivers. This happens a lot at this intersection. (BTW, as we approached Crown Valley and Coast Highway, a four-car accident had Crown Valley blocked off. If she had been there a couple minutes earlier, perhaps she would have been a participant that accident).

Black Denali decides to to de-rail

6:20 a.m. Northbound on Alicia Speedway at Niguel Road, a woman (with her phone to her head) in a black Denali SUV drives into the empty left turn lane to get by the waiting cars when the through-light turns green. She has to swerve back into the driving lane across the intersection to cut-off everyone so she can speed off at over 65 mph on Alicia Speedway. Another lovely way to start the day.

I'm driving slowly while I talk on the phone ...

1:30 p.m. A man in a black Ford 150 pickup turns right from Niguel Speedway  onto Crown Valley Speedway (without stopping on the red light, of course) and then drives 35 mph northbound on Crown Valley, lane drifting, with his phone to his head and writing notes on his steering wheel with his other hand. He continues this all the way past La Paz Speedway.

Why wait when I can run a red light?

10 a.m. A woman in a burgundy Ford Explorer doesn't want to wait for the light to turn green, so she turns on a red light as she makes a left turn from Paseo de Las Colinas onto Cabot Road.

Drag racing on Crown Valley Speedway

1:20 a.m. Two cars, on Crown Valley Speedway, southbound at Club House Drive, take off from the traffic light, wheels squealing, engines roaring as they drag race all the way down the Speedway. Illegal driving, illegal noise ... plenty of issues our city officials and enforcers need to be dealing with on our streets.

The race down Crown Valley Speedway ...

11:05 p.m. Southbound on Crown Valley Speedway, north of Central Park, a white Honda SUV and a gold Lexus SUV are racing and lane drifting at 75 mph.

Bronze Honda runs a red at City Hall and swerves around two lanes of traffic

9 a.m. A young man in bronze Honda Civic, turning right from Alicia Speedway on Crown Valley Speedway at the City Hall corner, goes around the two lanes of cars sitting in the right turn lanes and, in the lane that is for through-traffic only,  he made his speedy right turn against a red light without stopping.

Happy Halloween! Cut off pedestrians in the crosswalk!

6:15 p.m. A woman in a black Audi convertible making a right turn from Greenfield onto Crown Valley Speedway doesn't care about the pedestrians and bicyclist crossing Crown Valley in the crosswalk with walk signal. She cuts them off and speeds away. Possibly she's on a sugar rush and has to get home to stir her cauldron.

Driving the wrong direction on Crown Valley Speedway

6 p.m. A man exits the Chevron station at the corner of Crown Valley Speedway and Niguel Speedway headed south in the northbound lanes so that he can drive to the office building driveway just south of the Chevron station.

Am I towing your car, or are you just riding me hard?

11:45 a.m. A woman in a white Audi SUV, northbound on Crown Valley Speedway starting at Niguel Road, is changing lanes constantly, and hanging on the bumper of everyone ahead of her. She's literally no more than 8-feet behind anyone. It really looks like she's being towed by the car ahead of her, she's that close. And, she has her phone to her head. And two children in the car.

Crown Valley Speedway: South Orange County's Drag Race Headquarters

10:15 p.m. A black Dodge Challenger loaded with after-market bling, squeals away from the intersection of Del Avion northbound on Crown Valley Speedway, burning so much rubber it looks as if the thing is on fire, and screams away, eventually hitting 80 mph as far as we can see (and hear).

We've heard that some of the car customizers in Irvine actually bring their cars to Laguna Niguel in the evenings to test things (speeding, violating noise ordinances, etc.) because enforcement is stricter in Irvine than in Laguna Niguel and during the past few years Irvine has been modifying their road designs to slow down illegal and dangerous speeding. Irvine realized long ago that their suburban road designs of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s were outdated and needed to change in the 21st century. The city of Laguna Niguel has some things to learn from Irvine.

Wide streets and lots of lanes to drift through

7:30 a.m. A young man in blue Mustang northbound on La Paz Speedway north of Avila Road lane drifts, no turn signals, cutting off other drivers (who have to constantly brake) as he speeds to Pacific Park.

Motorcyclist hits 70 mph on Crown Valley Speedway

3:12 p.m. A motorcyclist northbound on Crown Valley Speedway, lane drifts and speeds (and is in violation of the noise ordinances) at over 70 mph past Clubhouse Drive toward Hillhurst. I hope he is still racing by the time someone at city hall can see him from their window so they get a view of the truth on the streets here.

Running a true red ... not a yellow-red, on La Paz Speedway

12:40 p.m. A young woman in gold/tan Chevrolet Aveo southbound on La Paz Speedway runs a true red light at Avila Road, three full seconds after the light has changed. Four cars are sitting at the red on La Paz, fully stopped, when she goes through the light; the cars eastbound at Avila have to stop, on their green light, to avoid being T-boned by this gal.

Perhaps driving with the top down contributes to running red lights?

10:40 a.m. Two women in a white Audi convertible, perhaps blinded by the sunlight, northbound on Crown Valley Speedway run a red light making the left turn onto Greenfield. Then, the driver runs the red light northbound on Greenfield making the left turn onto the Toll Road entrance. She must think that red lights do not apply to her. Thank goodness that the drivers who had to stop to allow her to run her red lights are better drivers than she is.

Watch me drift as I use my cell

7:25 a.m. A woman in a white Lexus, southbound on Alicia Speedway at Highlands has her phone to her head and is lane-drifting across traffic. Must be an interesting conversation.

"I'm running a red because my impatience is more important than your safety"

6:10 pm. A woman in a white BMW SUV runs the red light making a left turn northbound on Crown Valley Speedway at Alicia Speedway. This happens frequently at that intersection. During the week, I hope someone from the city is watching things at this intersection from the comfort of their new offices.

Crosswalks here are not safe

5:15 pm. As always, walking the speedways in Laguna Niguel is risky. Two pedestrians crossing Niguel Speedway and Marina Hills are nearly hit by a teen driver making a left turn in a gray Nissan Maxima. The car in one of the lanes  properly stopped, but the teen and his girlfriend sped through the crosswalk within feet of the two pedestrians, who had the right-of-way. This problem is constant. No wonder pedestrians avoid the speedways here. How lovely to live in city where walking is unpleasant ... and a danger.

Dog Days of Summer?

9:20 a.m. What is it with people around here letting their little dogs drive the car? In a five minute drive from Del Avion to Aliso Creek, there were four people driving poorly because their little dogs were sitting in their laps. On Crown Valley Speedway at Niguel Road, a woman was on her phone and had her dog in her lap, and she was lane drifting; on La Paz Speedway at Aliso Creek, a woman ran a red making a right, her little pooch staring out the driver's window; on La Paz Speedway at Avila, a woman and her driving dog cuts off two drivers without using her signal; and turning left from Aliso Creek to Alicia Parkway, a woman sits at the green light, unable to move while she clambers around the back seat reaching for her fluffy pooch, she finally gets the dog into her lap, but by that time, the light has turned red.

Rainy day crazy 2: Don't stop for a school bus

8:15 a.m. A morning of light rain obscures vision? Westbound on Clubhouse Drive at Crest d'Ville, the school bus is loading the kids, its stop sign extended to traffic, but that does not mean anything to the white BMW sedan with a driver, speeding faster than 35 mph (the posted speed limit), who passes the bus. Likely the bus driver noted the license plate of the offender, and no kids were hit.

Rainy day crazy: Walking to school is dangerous

7:45 a.m. A day of light rain means a day of heavy driving. Maybe people can't see out of their windshield because of the raindrops? Northbound on Alicia Speedway, a black Hummer is making a left turn onto Clipper Way, waits for the cars but likely doesn't see the pedestrian crossing the street and nearly hits the boy walking to his bus stop.

Driving the wrong way and an illegal U

11:15 a.m. A black Jeep exits the parking lot at the Walgreens on La Paz Speedway, and enters the left turn pocket lane (a dedicated, curbed lane) going the wrong direction, then drives northbound in the southbound lane of La Paz and makes a U-turn in order to head southbound on La Paz.

He should have simply exited the driveway, driven to the next left-turn pocket (about 50 yards away) and made a legal U-turn. Had another driver legally entered the curbed left-turn pocket while this guy was making his move, there would have been no way to avoid a collision.

Drag racing motorcycles on Crown Valley Speedway at Del Avion

5:52 p.m. A pair of motorcycles northbound on Crown Valley Speedway tear away from the traffic light at Del Avion and hit speeds exceeding 75 mph.

Saturday morning test tracks for motorcyclists

11 a.m. We received over 20 reports of speeding motorcycles (some at over 80 mph) along with extreme noise violations from the cycles. This is very typical on the speedways in Laguna Niguel on Saturday mornings when motorcyclists use the speedways during the slower traffic times to test their bikes (and their skills) by turning our streets in test tracks. Reports today between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. from Crown Valley, Golden Lantern, Niguel, Moulton, La Paz, and Alicia speedways.

Drag racing on Crown Valley Speedway

9:47 p.m. Two cars, southbound on Crown Valley Speedway, at Clubhouse Drive, drag racing, over 70 mph, lane drift across all three lanes, illegal exhaust systems blaring, an accident waiting to happen.

Screaming Beemer races on Golden Lantern

9:25 p.m. Black BMW northbound on Golden Lantern Speedway past St. Christopher, driving 70+ mph, blares his after-market exhaust system, lane drifts, and races onward past Chapparaosa Park Road.

Chevy truck runs a red, changes lane mid-intersection to avoid hitting a pedestrian

5:25 p.m. A gray Chevy truck, southbound on Niguel Speedway, runs a red light at Club House Drive, and changes lanes mid-intersection to avoid hitting a pedestrian in the crosswalk.

Talk on the phone and cut off a pedestrian

5:30 p.m. Woman in a white Lexus convertible turning left from Marina Hills Drive onto Niguel Speedway, with her phone to her ear, clueless that a pedestrian has the right-of-way in the crosswalk, makes her turn, oblivious to the person she nearly hits. Keeps chatting (and trying to make a turn with one hand on the wheel, the other holding her phone to her head) and speeds off on her way (and she also drives into the bike lane on Niguel Speedway immediately after her left turn).

Impala runs in the bike lane

2:15 p.m. Southbound on Crown Valley Speedway between Clubhouse Drive and National Park Drive, a man in a black Chevrolet Impala drifts fully into the bike lane five times in a quarter mile. Fortunately, no bicyclists were hit.

Driving 60 mph, crossing three lanes to make a left turn

1:20 p.m. A silver BMW 3 southbound on Alicia Speedway, the young driver is speeding, 60 mph, cutting off drivers (including an ambulance) and at the last minute cuts across three lanes of traffic to get into the left turn lane at Kite Hill.

Driving slow, texting fast

11 a.m. A gray-green Toyota Corolla, southbound on Alicia Speedway between Clipper Way and Niguel Road, a woman driving slowly (40 mph) and lane drifting, while she's texting.

Escalade truck changes lanes four times in half a mile

10:30 a.m. A white Escalade truck, southbound on Alicia Speedway, between Avila Road and Aliso Creek Road, decides to cut-off everybody, making four lane changes without using his directional signal, gunning his classy caddy truck faster than 55 mph. He gets to the red light at Aliso Creek Road, as do all of us whom he has cut-off. I'm sure all those moves were worth it to him, to simply wait at the light with those of us who traveled the same road.

The light turned green and he sped off at over 60 mph on Alicia Speedway south of Aliso Creek.  

A Quest on a quest to get somewhere too fast

9:15 a.m. A gray Nissan Quest minivan northbound on Paseo de la Colinas at Loma Linda (a woman driver with a few small kids in the minivan) was driving faster than 50 mph, phone to her ear, and had difficulty staying within her own lane.

Black BMW and White Honda battle it out

11:27 p.m. A black BWM loaded with illegal aftermarket exhaust systems, is racing with a white Honda, that is also loaded with a rear stabilizer wing and aftermarket exhaust, are violating noise ordinances, drag racing from a racing start northbound at Clubhouse and Crown Valley Speedway, and exceed 80+ mph by the time they get to Paseo del Niguel.

This is a stretch of speedway where cars have crashed through the block walls, endangering the residents below the speedway, spinning out across the median, and people have died.

Poorly designed roads encourage speeding and allow for bad driving behavior. Crown Valley Speedway was four lanes, and handled just as much through traffic, before they added two more lanes within the same street width, allowing for more lane drift, more swerving, and the perception that increased speeds, were safer? It's a case of extremely poor road design based on outdated models that allow for county and state funding resources, and old thinking from the 1960s and 70s. The current "nearing retirement age" traffic engineers are still using "models of efficiency" their professors learned in school in the 1940s and 50s in the hopes of creating a modern and dynamic future. Fast traffic models should not dictate the design of a bedroom community. Will it take another 20 years for engineers to wake up?

Racing cars and motorcycles all night long along the Laguna Niguel Speedways disrupt the sleep patterns of thousands of residents. Perhaps city officials and traffic engineers need to camp overnight along our "safe" speedways and get a taste of what real life here is like. Having cars driving 60+ mph less than 40 feet from houses is unnecessary and absurd. [Thank you to residents along both sides of CV Speedway for this information tonight].

Running a red at Golden Lantern Speedway

6:10 p.m. A gray Chrysler sedan runs a red light northbound on Golden Lantern Speedway at Bear Brand Road.

"Hello? ... I'm running a red with my top down"

1 p.m. Northbound on Crown Valley Speedway, a woman in a white Mercedes convertible, top down, with her phone to her head, runs a red light as she makes a left turn onto Niguel Road Speedway. The three cars headed southbound on Crown Valley Speedway have to stop in the middle of the intersection to avoid a crash. She cruises through obliviously, ... or she doesn't give a darn.

I'm in a hurry. I'll pass you by driving into opposing traffic.

9:35 a.m. Westbound on Clubhouse Drive, a car is slowing to turn right into Crest d'Ville, and the gray Chevrolet truck behind is impatient, passes the car turning right by moving into the opposing traffic lane into the path of an oncoming car. The oncoming car has to swerve into the El Niguel Heights entrance to avoid a frontal collision. The gray Chevy speeds on down the hill to Niguel Road.

Silver Beemer runs a red onto La Paz Speedway

2:15 p.m. A low-slung small silver BMW with two young men in it, westbound on Aliso Creek Speedway, the driver chooses not to stop at a red light as they turn right onto La Paz Speedway, forcing a driver properly crossing the intersection southbound on La Paz Speedway to hit his brakes mid-intersection to let the young men speed along their journey, at more that 60+ mph following their illegal turn.

Prius cuts off a baby stroller

11:30 a.m. Northbound on Crown Valley Speedway, turning right onto Golden Lantern Speedway, a burgundy Prius chooses not to stop for a father pushing his children in a double stroller even though the dad has a "walk" signal. Dad has to stop in the crosswalk to let the Prius driver make her right turn.

I'll hit the curb while I check my phone

10:35 a.m. Northbound on La Paz Speedway, opposite the old city hall buildings, a gray Ford Escape drifts from the middle lane, through the right lane, through the bike lane, hits the curb, swerves back into the right lane. Luckily, she didn't drop her phone while she was texting.

I've gotta get my coffee; get outta my way!

8:15 a.m. Northbound on Crown Valley Speedway, driver is stopped on the red to turn right into the shopping center at Alicia Parkway. The woman behind him starts honking, drives around him, and speeds to her parking spot. Both drivers end up in Starbucks. The gentleman who was turning right asks her if there was a problem and why was she honking at him; she says that she was tired of waiting behind someone who stops at red lights to make a right turn and that she has to get her coffee and get to work and he needs to get out of her way. Pre-caffeinated rudeness to the extreme, both in and out of her car.

Speeding motorcyles, a constant occurrence

6:45 p.m. Moulton Speedway, Crown Valley Speedway, Del Avion Speedway, and Highlands Speedway ... in a fifteen minute period, we received reports from all these areas of motorcycles racing, violating noise ordinances, and cutting between cars on the lane lines. Wow, must be something in the air tonight (besides the screaming engines).

Land Rover roving across lanes on Moulton Speedway

1:10 p.m. A woman in a large greenish Land Rover southbound on Moulton Speedway at Aliso Creek Road was driving at least 60 mph, slot-car style (meaning, she was straddling the dotted lines) as she drifted back-and-forth between two lanes. Why? She had her phone to her ear, and she was smoking (not that we care about that), but with both hands occupied she was likely steering with her knees. I honked at her to wake her up, since she almost hit me, and she gave me the finger.

Royally speeding at Kings Road

2:25 p.m. A woman in a Saturn Vue was northbound on La Paz Speedway at Kings Road at 60 mph. On her rear window was a pink sticker: Princess in Car.

Motorcycle on Alicia Speedway races at 80+ mph

3:02 p.m. Northbound on Alicia Speedway, north of Kite Hill South, a motorcycle races, eventually getting to more than 80 mph weaving through all three lanes, cutting off cars ... even driving between two cars along the lane divider just so he can tear ahead. And he's violating noise violations. What else is new on this peaceful Sunday?

Pimped-out Accord lane drifts at 70+ mph west on Moulton Speedway past Rancho Niguel

11:31 p.m. It's so cool to pimp-out a little Honda Accord with spinning rims and LED lights under the running boards. And even better to screech away from the intersection heading west from Crown Valley Speedway on Moulton Speedway past Rancho Niguel Road. Sane residents: please don't stand, park, or walk past that intersection. Bad things happen when street designs encourage speeding and risky driving, as the streets in this city do. And what's been done (or even proposed) by the city to make intersections safer in Laguna Niguel since the tragedy there? Let us know.

Pair of drag racing cars on Crown Valley Speedway and Laguna Woods

11:25 p.m. South of Clubhouse Drive on Crown Valley Speedway, two drag racers try to see who is the biggest idiot as they scream south past Laguna Woods Drive down to Del Avion at likely nearly 80+ mph. The City of Laguna Niguel and Orange County Sheriff: Would you please fix things around here?

Running two reds at Marina Hills Speedway

6:10 p.m. A gray Chrysler 300, northbound on Golden Lantern Speedway, speeds to turn left onto Marina Hills Speedway, runs the red light. The driver then floors it, his illegal exhaust system annoying the residents who live near the Marina Hills Speedway. He then ran a red—again!—making a left at Marina Hills Speedway and Niguel Road Speedway. Running red lights twice in a minute—the roads are neither safe nor sane here.

The battling white Mercedes at CV Speedway and La Paz

2:20 p.m. A white Mercedes coupe, southbound at Crown Valley Speedway at La Paz, slows on a yellow light in order to make a right turn onto La Paz. The white Mercedes sedan behind him starts honking, then quickly swerves into the next lane, still honking, accelerates, passing the Mercedes coupe (which has now stopped at the red light before making the turn). The guy in the sedan gives the law-abiding driver in the coupe the finger, and the idiot in the sedan runs through the red light.

There is so much rudeness on the roads here. People think they are so important that laws (and politeness) mean nothing. Anybody who speeds and is rude is not as important as they think they are, because if you are important, the meeting will wait to start until you get there, even if you are one minute late.

Beacon Hill Way and Niguel Road: +70 mph banshee

3:56 p.m. Red Porsche southbound on Niguel Road Speedway near Beacon Hill Way, at more than 70 mph, lane drifting as if there are no lane markers.

Driving dog speeding on Crown Valley

11:00 a.m. An older gentleman in a gray Chrysler driving north in the left lane of Crown Valley Speedway at Nueva Vista, had his small fluffy dog standing in his lap, the dog's paws draped over the top of the steering wheel, and driving faster than 55 mph in a 45 mph zone. That will not be a pretty sight when his air bag opens. Doggone.

Drag racing at Crown Valley Speedway wakes up residents, but never wakes up city officials

11:27 p.m. A black BWM loaded with illegal aftermarket exhaust systems, is racing with a white Honda, that is also loaded with a rear stabilizer wing and aftermarket exhaust, are violating noise ordinances, drag racing from a racing start northbound at Clubhouse and Crown Valley Speedway, and exceed 80+ mph by the time they get to Paseo del Niguel.

This is a stretch of speedway where cars have crashed through the block walls, endangering the residents below the speedway, spinning out across the median, and people have died.

These streets are designed primarily for speed and allow for bad driving behavior. Does anyone realize that Crown Valley Speedway was four lanes, and handled just as much through traffic, before they added two more lanes allowing for more lane drift, more swerving, and the perception that increased speeds were safer (Note: didn't the additional lanes also increase funding to the city coffers from the county and state)? It's a case of extremely bad road design based on outdated models and old thinking from the 1960s and 70s. The current "nearing retirement age" traffic engineers are still using models their professors learned in school in the 1940s. Will it take another 20 years for engineers to wake up?

Racing cars and motorcycles all night long along the Laguna Niguel Speedways disrupt the sleep patterns of thousands of residents. City officials and traffic engineers need to camp overnight along our "safe" speedways and get a taste of what real life here is like. Having cars driving 60+ mph within 40 feet of houses is absurd. [Thank you to residents above and below CV Speedway for this information tonight].

It's a holiday ... and the motorcycles are screaming

2:45 p.m. It's a been a day of screaming motorcycles, exceeding the speed limits, sometimes at 75+ mph, and violating the noise ordinance. Today we've gotten reports from all along Crown Valley, Golden Lantern, Moulton, Niguel, Alicia, and La Paz Speedways. It never ends; a typical dangerously offensive day in Laguna Niguel. Is no one working to enforce the law on Labor Day?

Truck spews smoke and floors it

11:40 a.m. A jacked-up black pick-up truck was sitting behind cars turning left at Moulton Speedway and Rancho Niguel, then he swerves in the next lane, floors it, spewing black smoke and screaming his illegal after-market exhaust system [noise violation] to race to the next traffic light. That's a smart move, to move less than 100 yards.

Good news! A speeding ticket ...

3:30 p.m. The sheriff doing their job: a woman in a gray Audi sedan is pulled over southbound on Crown Valley Speedway, south of Niguel Road, for driving too fast, and using her cell phone.

Another speeding, noisy motorcycle

5:52 p.m. Motorcycle southbound on Crown Valley Speedway at National Park Drive, exceeding +65 mph and violating the state noise ordinance.

5:55 p.m. Another one, same location.

6:02 p.m. And yet, another one.

6:15 p.m. This time, northbound.

Irritating and dangerous.

Man honking because I was driving the speed limit on Crown Valley Speedway

10:40 a.m. While driving north on Crown Valley Speedway, south of Golden Lantern Speedway, in the middle lane, I'm at the speed limit of 45 mph, a man in his white Jaguar races up behind me, starts honking, then raises both hands off the wheel to let me know how foolish I am for driving the speed limit. Sorry sir, but the lanes are clear beside me, so just go around me and continue speeding, which he did once we got to Golden Lantern Speedway. He changed lanes without signaling and quickly sped off at well over 60 mph. He must live a frustrating life.

On the phone and drifting and littering in a silver Toyota

10:20 a.m. A young girl in a silver Toyota, having difficulty staying in her lane, driving +55 mph, with her phone to her head, south on Alicia Speedway between Clipper and Niguel Road. Also, she littered a cigarette butt. That means, for a moment, she was driving with no hands: one for the phone, one for throwing litter out her window. That's classy.

Racing black Honda on Golden Lantern Speedway

11:59 p.m.: Zooming south past Crystal Cay on Golden Lantern Speedway, a racing black Honda, +70 mph and a violation of traffic noise ordinance.

Woman runs over planter at Farmer's Market while on cell phone

A woman, in a hugely oversized white SUV, with her phone to her ear, pulls into the parking lot of the Farmer's Market on La Paz Road, but she can't control the steering wheel to make the 90-degree turn with only one hand (since the other hand is holding her phone) so her grip slips off the steering wheel and she runs over the curb, across the plantings next to FedEx and Union Bank. She keeps driving to her coveted parking spot.

Just so you know, we don't post sheriff traffic reports; we're posting the things we see and hear in Laguna Niguel. Drivers do their damage, shrug as if it's not their fault, then drive off—no cops involved. That behavior is really common here. I hope the city and the sheriff department understand that we are helping them do their job—we are your eyes and ears on the street.

Car jumps the curb on Clubhouse Drive, flattens street sign

A speeding car heading east on Clubhouse Drive, at the El Niguel Country Club, missed the curve, cut across the opposing lane, jumped the curb, flattened the street sign, and plowed across the sidewalk. Fortunately: no one was on the sidewalk or in the bike lane at the time or they would have been killed. Check out the skid marks and tire marks on the curb. The grass was beat up, too. Also, check out the trees in that area of Clubhouse Drive; the trunks are damaged from speeding cars that have jumped the curbs over the years: a visual history of abuse.

The posted speed limit is 35 mph, with a safety warning limit at the top of the hill at 25 mph, but people drive +45 mph on Clubhouse Drive all the time. The constant squealing tires as they round out at the bottom of the hill is a clue. Tip: do not walk or ride your bike on the north side of Clubhouse Drive between Crown Valley and Niguel Road. It's extraordinarily risky there. Cars hit the curb regularly, crossing the bike lane, and jump on the sidewalk occasionally.

A racing motorcycle, Crown Valley and Hillhurst

10:15 p.m. Blasting past the new city hall, a motorcycle going 80 mph, and loud as heck. I hope city officials can open their office windows to hear what we all have to hear all day and night.

I was hit by two cars today on my bike

Once again, first-hand experience proves that the streets of Laguna Niguel are clearly not as safe as the city wants us to believe. Despite hiding behind traffic statistics about how safe the streets are here, real-life shows us that things are not as safe here as touted in the official binder of statistical data that the city uses to CYA. Any of us good drivers have to be inordinately defensive on the roads here in order to avoid accidents.

Today I was hit on my bike by a car turning right, as I entered a crosswalk at Niguel Road and Marina Hills Drive. I had a walk-signal on the crosswalk, but the driver and his wife did not stop at their red light. It was only a tire bump on my bike, so I wasn't hurt, but got back onto the sidewalk, pressed the crosswalk button again, waited for my "walk" signal, crossed the street again, and then got hit by a car turning left on the light, the driver zoomed across the crosswalk while I had the right-away on the crosswalk signal. Again, a tire bump, but he, like the other driver, looked at me and just sped away.

The city manager, staff, and council members need to get out of their offices, where they sit around defending any accusations that the roads here are not pleasant and safe. I suggest they get on their bikes or walk the streets (or simply drive the speed limit) and see what life on the speedways is really like here. It's a too-wide, too-many-lanes, senseless network of outdated 1970s and 80s-style traffic planning made for speed, with plenty of self-obsessed drivers who are inconsiderate of each other, running lights and stop signs, holding their phones to their ears, who have no common respect for the law or their neighbors. C'mon, Laguna Niguel, it's time you start enforcing the existing noise and traffic laws.

And because I was hit by cars twice today in three minutes, I've finally started this blog with a consortium of fellow residents throughout the city. The important issues that are addressed in this blog have been part of our discussions for years, around the dinner table, at local events, and at neighborhood gatherings. We should have brought this to the forefront much sooner. But we think it's about time that the concerned residents of this city document the ongoing problems that the city staff and politicians are not adequately addressing through proactive management, enforcement, and positive planning and traffic changes that could make this city friendlier, safer, more convenient–and quieter–for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and residents.

As always, a ridiculous, but inspiring, day on the roads here. And I have the bruises to prove it. And we all have this blog to make change happen.