Added Sign Should Improve Busy Oxnard Intersection

Dear Street Smart:

There’s a problem I’ve noted while driving around Oxnard.

It’s at the new intersection of Gonzales Road and Rose Avenue.

When a driver is going east on Gonzales, approaching Rose, the inside traffic lane becomes a left-turn-only lane with little or no warning.

At the corner, there are two left-turn lanes and a right-turn-only lane.

There is only one straight-through lane, which feeds into three lanes just east of Rose.

The first time I encountered this, I was lucky there was no traffic behind me. I was able to wait for an opening to the right so I could be in the proper place to go straight through the intersection.

I envision a major accident because of this messed-up intersection.

Betsy Pervorse, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

There has been construction going on at this busy intersection for several months, partly to prepare for the opening of a Wal-Mart store on one corner.

The city put two left-turn lanes here to handle the many drivers who are heading north to get on the Ventura Freeway, says Joe Genovese, Oxnard’s traffic engineer.

To make sure drivers end up in the proper place, the city has installed three “lane designation” signs. These display arrows showing where each lane is going.

Within the next few weeks, the city will put another sign on the median, warning drivers that through-traffic must merge right. “I think the additional sign will help,” Genovese said.

You were right in noticing that Gonzales Road, on the other side of this intersection, has a more conventional lineup of lanes. That’s because this side has been widened to accommodate new buildings on the street.

If the farmland on the southwest corner ever gives way to a new office building or shopping center, that part of the intersection will also be widened, and you’ll probably find the new traffic lanes much less confusing.

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Dear Street Smart:

They are putting speed bumps on Brower Street in Simi Valley to slow down the traffic.

I live nearby on the corner of Lupin and Larch streets. Larch runs roughly parallel to Brower.

It is my feeling that the speed bumps are going to throw the traffic onto Larch. They’re going to get rid of the problem on Brower and dump it on Larch. My children walk along Larch to get to school.

My question is, are they going to put speed bumps on Larch? What has the city done to address the problem that will arise? Will they have traffic cops on the street?

Or are they going to ignore this problem like they did on Brower, until people speak up?

Mark Barney, Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

First, let’s clarify our traffic terms.

Speed bumps are those steep narrow protrusions--usually in parking lots--that can jar your teeth loose if you cross too quickly.

Speed humps are the kinder, gentler, wider slopes that cities put on busy residential streets--often near schools--to nudge drivers into slowing down. Their peak is about three inches above street level.

Speed humps are controversial for the very reason you mentioned. Some traffic experts say they just move a speed problem from one road to another, when drivers look for a way around the new humps.

Nevertheless, many residents believe humps will make their street safer. Under Simi Valley rules, Brower Street qualified because it carries more than 2,000 vehicles a day, more than 85% of the drivers exceed the 25-m.p.h. speed limit and at least 67% of the residents endorsed the idea.

The city staff planned to put in two humps, but the City Council decided that an existing drainage depression would serve the same purpose. The council authorized one hump on Brower.

This hump might cause some drivers to switch to Larch, as you fear. But Bill Golubics, the city’s traffic engineer, doesn’t believe this will happen because there is a stop sign and a sharp jog in the road where Larch meets Wisteria Street. And Larch has its own drainage depressions.

These factors should keep the speeds low on Larch. Still, if you believe a speeding problem does exist, contact the city’s traffic staff. They can do a car count and speed checks as a first step toward finding out whether Larch, too, qualifies for speed humps.

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Dear Street Smart:

In Thousand Oaks, Lynn Road, between Avenida de los Arboles and Hillcrest Drive, does not have any marked bicycle lanes. And the street isn’t wide enough to include any. It consists of two traffic lanes in each direction.

As both a pedestrian and a driver, I have seen many bicyclists use this main thoroughfare. I have seen lone bicyclists and groups of as many as 15.

The bicyclists, the curves in the road, drivers exceeding the speed limit and drivers jockeying to pass the bicyclists all combine to create a very dangerous situation.

Interestingly enough, there are several rather innocuous signs posted on the sidewalk along this stretch of Lynn Road.

One directs pedestrians and bicyclists to use the sidewalk. The other tells bicyclists to yield to pedestrians.

Are bicyclists permitted to ride on the street on this stretch of Lynn Road?

And if this is permitted, what are the regulations for bicyclists while doing so?

Kenneth L. Knipe, Thousand Oaks

Dear Reader:

Although the practice is illegal in some cities, Thousand Oaks allows bicyclists to ride on a sidewalk unless a sign prohibits it.

Along the stretch of Lynn Road that you’ve described, the city actually encourages bicyclists to pedal on the sidewalk. The second sign you spotted was to remind these two-wheel riders that people on foot still have the right of way.

It is also legal for bicyclists to ride in the street here. But those who do must follow the same traffic rules as motorized vehicles, which may be tough on this winding, fast-moving street.

“On Lynn Road, from a safety standpoint, it’s best to have bicyclists use the sidewalk because there’s no room for a bike lane on the street right now,” says John Helliwell, the city’s traffic engineer.

That might change, however.

The city’s General Plan calls for Lynn Road eventually to be widened to three lanes in each direction. But a city advisory committee has heard from many residents who want to see Lynn Road widened only enough to add bike lanes.

Helliwell says this could be done by shaving a few feet off the center median, then painting new lane stripes. But first, the City Council must approve this idea and allocate the money for it.

In the near future, however, the city plans to create a few more sidewalk ramps at intersections along Lynn Road. That should make it easier for bicyclists to use the sidewalks.