Caltrans Puts Brakes on Idea of Truck Ban for Freeway

State transportation officials threw up a roadblock Wednesday to a proposed rush-hour ban on trucks using the Ventura Freeway while a widening project is under way.

Despite unanimous support for such a ban from the Los Angeles City Council, the state Department of Transportation wants to give its traffic-management plan “an opportunity to work” before it considers a ban, said David J. Kilmurray, a Caltrans engineer. Caltrans’ approval is required for a truck ban.

Caltrans’ plan includes calling on truckers to voluntarily avoid the freeway during peak commuting hours. To encourage truckers to do that, the City Council on Friday is expected to lift restrictions on early-morning and late-night deliveries in residential neighborhoods.

Caltrans has implemented a number of other traffic-reduction measures, such as establishing a telephone information line--800-CALL-VIP--to keep motorists informed of construction schedules. In April, similar information will be broadcast on AM radio at 1610 on the dial and, in May, will be displayed on signs along the freeway.

‘Postponing the Inevitable’

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky--who, along with Councilman Mike Woo, last year proposed the truck ban--said Wednesday: “I think Caltrans is just postponing the inevitable.”

“I think that Caltrans is not thinking of what’s in the best interests of the San Fernando Valley,” Woo said.

Caltrans’ decision was not unexpected. State transportation officials earlier had expressed concern about the lack of a convenient alternative route to the freeway. The closest alternative is the Simi Valley Freeway, which turns into a two-lane residential street through Moorpark. There are no surface streets parallel to the Ventura Freeway west of Calabasas.

The ban was also opposed by the trucking industry. It contended that the ban would delay the arrival of goods and hurt the economy.

Yaroslavsky said he will continue to press for the ban through the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which was empowered by recent state legislation to ban trucks from freeways during rush hours.

He said he also will try to enlist the support of Valley representatives in the Legislature to persuade Caltrans to change its position.

‘Commuters Are Fed Up’

“Valley commuters are fed up with the congestion on Valley freeways,” Yaroslavsky said. “Prohibiting the use of trucks during peak periods on all freeways will prove to be the most important short-term tool for improving traffic flow.”

Trucks account for 2% to 3% of the traffic on the Ventura Freeway during rush hours, from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., according to Caltrans. Even though the volume of trucks is low, proponents of a ban argue that a truck accident could tie up the freeway for hours.

The four-year, $96-million improvement project, which began last month, will add a lane in each direction between Calabasas and Universal City.

The noise-control ordinance, which the council is expected to relax, prohibits loading and unloading of vehicles within 200 feet of a residence between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Enforcement of the ordinance was suspended during the 1984 Olympics, a move credited with helping to bring about smooth-flowing freeways during the Summer Games.

Under the measure, truckers with a permit from the Police Department would be allowed to make deliveries an hour earlier, starting at 6 a.m., and an hour later, to 11 p.m. Permits would not be issued for noisy operations, such as trash pickup.

Expanded delivery hours would be limited to an area bounded by Ventura and Victory boulevards, the San Diego Freeway and western city limits.