SFist: UPDATE: Six Vehicle Pile-Up On Golden Gate Bridge Snarls Traffic

RicardoSF

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:34:32 -0800

You're welcome, Cindy. It was news to me too, I'd always thought it referred to some 'sig'nal or sometning. Who knew? Go figure...

Cindy

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:26:30 -0800

RicardoSF, thanks for the info. Seriously. Been wondering about that SigAlert - kept trying to think of acronyms for SIG. Super Incredible Gridlock?

RobInSF

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:58:57 -0800

How many times have I told you kids, NO PLAYING CHICKEN IN THE SUICIDE LANES!!! I'm swimming home from Sausalito.

RicardoSF

Wed, 21 May 2008 16:21:04 -0800

Thank Lloyd Sigmon for the term Sig Alert, which has an unexpected origin, I learned by watching Ken Bastida on CBS5 News segment "Good Question" several weeks ago.... And although LA thinks they have the lease-to-buy on the term, we all know that it now covers way more than the El Lay basin... Q: What are Sig-Alerts? A: "Sig-Alerts" are unique to Southern California. They came about in the 1940s when the L.A.P.D. got in the habit of alerting a local radio reporter, Loyd Sigmon, of bad car wrecks on city streets. These notifications became known as "Sig-Alerts." Later Mr. Sigmon developed an electronic device that authorities could use to alert the media of disasters. Caltrans latched on to the term "Sig-Alert" and it has come to be known as any traffic incident that will tie up two or more lanes of a freeway for two or more hours.