Special Traffic Signal Helps Equestrians Cross River of Cars

There was a time when about the only obstacle a lone horseman faced on the mountain slopes of the northeastern San Fernando Valley were the sudden rivers that cascaded down the normally dry gullies after a heavy rain. Those rushing streams are gone now, replaced by concrete flood control channels, but they’ve been replaced by rivers of cars that are even more difficult to cross.

Horse-riding residents of the Sun Valley area have been trying for eight years to find a safer way of fording busy Sunland Boulevard, which cuts through two popular riding areas.

They found it this week, in the form of a new crossing signal at Sunland Park Drive that gives the green light to both two- and four-legged pedestrians.

The signal, which went into operation Tuesday, is like any other, except it has two control buttons: one at the standard 42-inch height, the other at six feet for those on horseback.

The signal is one of a handful spread throughout the San Fernando Valley. There are “four or five, at most,” said Al Albaisa, district engineer for the department of transportation.

The first four-legged users were Foxy the mare and Red the mule, ridden by Darlene Keeble and her 4-year-old son, Kurtis. It was the first time Keeble, who lives in La Tuna Canyon, had crossed the street on horseback since her first child was born nine years ago. She said she formerly used the crossing frequently on her way to riding trails at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area, but stopped because she feared for the safety of her four children.

The new light changes things.

“I’m going to actually try it,” she said with resolve. “I’m going to go out and try going over to the dam.”

Keeble’s story is typical of other riders in the area. Equestrians on the La Tuna Canyon side of the boulevard say they would have loved to poke along the trail network at Hansen Dam, but they’ve been corralled by the boulevard. The same goes for residents on the other side, who want to explore the canyon’s dusty trails.

“We’ve never come over here to explore because it’s too dangerous to cross the street,” said Jean Riesen, who lives in Shadow Hills and generally rides around Hansen Dam. “Now that this light is open, it makes it much safer. We’ll come over here and utilize all the trails on this side.”