50 Stage Traffic Jam in Protest of Trucks

Three tractors, a few dogs and about 50 rain-soaked Old Agoura residents staged a traffic jam Saturday to protest the problems in their rural neighborhood caused by what they called a daily onslaught of commercial trucks.

The residents said trucks traveling along Medfield Street to and from an industrial complex near their homes are endangering school-age children, annoying homeowners and rattling nerves--not to mention pictures on their walls.

“My wife is getting awfully tired of the dust, and we can never keep anything straight on the walls,” said Earl Vorhies, 60. “When we get all this development and traffic shoved down our throats, people get more than a little sick of it.”

Clutching rain-soaked signs and chanting slogans, the residents marched down Lewis Road and Medfield Street, momentarily bringing a halt to some of the car and truck traffic.

Diane Venable, who led the march, said that, even though the street was built on Los Angeles County property, county officials have ignored residents’ efforts to close it for the last several years.

Agoura Hills City Manager David Carmany said about 3,000 vehicles a day go down the paved street, which, at its widest, is 24 feet, according to residents.

“It’s not even an official street,” Carmany said. “It was installed without the permission of the county.”

He said the developer of the commercial complex, Dale Poe, put the street in as a driveway to the businesses.

The street was formerly a dirt road and was paved about four years ago, officials said.

Trucks use the smaller street to avoid what Carmany described as one of the area’s worst intersections--Kanan Road and Canwood Street, which has frequent accidents.

“When I lay in bed and a truck passes by, my bed vibrates,” said Margy Prentice, who has lived in the area 10 years. “I have a hard time getting in and out of my driveway with all the trucks speeding through here. More development is planned for the area, so something really has to be done now.”

A Nov. 18 hearing has been scheduled at Agoura Hills City Hall to deal with problems.