When I read about the horrible crash where Angeles Crest Highway dumps out at Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge, I wondered if the semi-truck driver had used the sand trap that has been there for years as an emergency lane for speeding trucks. The Times answers the question deep in the latest web story:

Doug Failing, Caltrans District 7 manager, said the La Cañada section of the road -- also known as state Highway 2 -- used to have a runaway truck lane for vehicles going too fast as they approach Foothill Boulevard. But in the last few years, the agency landscaped around the lane, and it is no longer used as a runaway truck lane.

Caltrans has been talking about finding a new location for a runaway lane, perhaps further north on Angeles Crest in county unincorporated territory.

The Palmdale father and daughter who were killed are Angel Jorge Posca, 58, and Angelina Posca, 12. They were en route to the family business in Long Beach. The truck driver, from Florida, is in custody on suspicion of manslaughter. Caltrans says it is considering a temporary ban on trucks crossing the San Gabriels via Angeles Crest. Temporary? I would hate to encounter a semi up there.