Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Santa Clarita Traffic Panel Seeks Members

Residents who want to serve on a city advisory committee reviewing area traffic issues have another week to submit applications.

The city is looking to fill two recent vacancies on the 10-member group created more than a year ago to advise City Manager George Caravalho. One member, Bart Aikman, resigned when he moved out of Santa Clarita, and the other, Mark Crammer, quit when he moved out of state.

“The committee is a broad-based group representative of the city,” said Gail Foy, city spokeswoman. “Anybody that has a genuine interest in transportation issues and improving our traffic circulation is welcome to apply.”

Applications for the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee are due Friday and interviews are to be conducted Sept. 10. The group meets monthly.

So far, the agency has dealt primarily with the issue of how to improve east-west travel through the valley. It has recommended the expansion of a series of local roads running through the center of the city to a maximum of six lanes, and restricting them to local traffic and delivery trucks.

The issue gained notoriety after the City Council in October rejected a proposal by the California Department of Transportation to expand California 126. Caltrans had considered connecting the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways with an eight-lane expressway that would have cut through Santa Clarita.