$2.4-Million Fix Ahead for Parkway Calabasas Bottleneck

Dear Street Smart:

Going south on the Ventura Freeway from Thousand Oaks, there is a dangerous intersection at the end of the Parkway Calabasas off-ramp.

There is a stop sign at the exit, but there is no stop sign for the traffic on Parkway Calabasas. So making either a right or left turn from the exit ramp onto Parkway Calabasas is a scary situation.

Why is there no traffic light?

Judy Hoffmann

Westlake Village

Dear Street Smart:

Every weekday morning from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., the Parkway Calabasas off-ramp from the southbound Ventura Freeway is backed up with traffic that reaches into the right-hand lane of the freeway.

The stop sign controlling the off-ramp is wholly inadequate. Are there any plans to correct the situation?

Joseph Graziano

Thousand Oaks

P.S. I know the Parkway Calabasas off-ramp is in Los Angeles County. However, I know that the Parkway Calabasas off-ramp is used by many Conejo Valley residents like myself.

Dear Readers:

This traffic tie-up is indeed just over the county line. But because it is causing grief for many Ventura County motorists, we looked into the problem.

Caltrans officials, who oversee the freeway, are aware of the backup. And they say a remedy is on the horizon, thanks to a major interchange reconstruction project by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

“We’re just about ready to begin work on the first phase of the project,” promises Jean Granucci, a spokeswoman for the department.

Beginning in October, workers will rebuild the troubled southbound ramps and install a traffic light to eliminate the bottleneck caused by the stop sign. The project, which could cost up to $2.4 million, should be finished next May.

The traffic jam is blamed on booming development near this off-ramp, so it seems only appropriate that the reconstruction project is being financed by fees collected from builders in the area.

After the first phase is finished, the county plans to widen the Parkway Calabasas bridge over the freeway and modify the northbound ramps. That work should take another 15 months.

Dear Street Smart:

As a professional traffic engineer working in both the private and public sectors in Southern California for over 30 years, I’ve enjoyed your column immensely.

One of my pet peeves has been the proliferation of the large variable message electronic billboards normally seen adjacent to freeways at auto dealerships.

I’m quite concerned that these modern-day “Burma Shave” signs pose a serious distraction to motorists using the adjacent freeways. They may cause accidents.

How and why did these things evolve? Do any concerned public agencies intend to try to deter future installations?

Thomas S. Montgomery

Oxnard

Dear Reader:

The sophisticated electronic billboards you refer to flash commercial messages, pictures and public service announcements. They closely resemble the electronic scoreboards seen at major league ballparks.

City officials are often willing to approve these signs for auto dealers because such businesses generate significant sales tax revenue.

But do electronic billboards distract drivers and cause accidents?

Officer Paul Thompson of the California Highway Patrol office in Ventura said he’s seen no reports that say these devices are a traffic hazard. And he’s never come across a crash related to them.

“Virtually anything can be a distraction for people,” he says. “I don’t think they’re any more of a distraction than other things.”

Still, not just anyone can throw up an electronic billboard and aim it at the freeway.

Caltrans has issued permits for just two such devices in this county, both along the Ventura Freeway next to the auto sales centers in Oxnard and Ventura, says Martha Ragas, a Caltrans outdoor advertising inspector.

And the state does impose rules: The electronic signs can only advertise a business located at the area where the sign is placed, so don’t expect to see laundry detergent or cologne ads on such signs.

Second, each message must remain on screen for at least four seconds. This is done to prevent the glitzy rolling images seen on electronic signs in Las Vegas.

Although community service announcements are allowed, the sign cannot flash baseball scores, foreign news reports or other such non-advertising material.

Caltrans also imposes strict limits on its own freeway message signs. These devices can only display warnings about traffic jams, detours or weather conditions that a driver can expect to encounter ahead.

“We want people to pay attention to these signs,” says Caltrans spokesman Robin Witt. “We don’t want people to take them for granted.”

Dear Street Smart:

My primary complaint is the design of the Victoria Avenue interchange from the northbound Ventura Freeway in Ventura.

As I exit the freeway, I get in the far left lane to turn south onto Victoria. In the lane to my right, you can also turn left.

As you make the turn, a third lane appears on the left for cars that are trying to turn onto the southbound freeway.

If I am not very careful, I am forced into this left-turn pocket, which would put me back on the freeway. This is done by drivers who believe they have to move into the center lane, where my car is.

I have had several near-misses. Is this going to be repaired in the near future?

Warren Hess

Port Hueneme

Dear Reader:

You’ll find little disagreement among transportation experts: The Victoria Avenue interchange is one of the worst, if not the worst, in Ventura County.

It’s no surprise that you’ve had some near-misses. City officials say the accident rate at this interchange is more than three times higher than it should be.

Robert Houle, a Caltrans engineer, checked out the intersection recently but said changes in the striping or signs wouldn’t help.

Part of the problem stems from having four traffic signals at this interchange and very little room to maneuver into the proper lane.

“Sometimes, people get confused,” Houle said. “They have only a short distance to get over, and they sometimes try to intimidate or crowd you over.”

Houle recommends that you let such pushy drivers in, but don’t let them force you out of your lane.

If you can hold on for a few years, this interchange is due for an overhaul.

The Ventura County Transportation recently allocated $4.5 million in federal money toward rebuilding the southern half of the Victoria interchange. The city of Ventura plans to kick in another $2.5 million.

The interchange may become even more of a nightmare when the construction work begins, probably in 1996. But when it’s finished, city officials promise that traffic will flow much more smoothly through this interchange.