No Funds in Sight for Congested Oxnard Intersection

Dear Street Smart:

There’s an intersection in Oxnard that drives me crazy.

It’s known as Five Points, where Oxnard Boulevard, also known as California 1, meets Saviers and Wooley roads.

There is heavy traffic from five directions facing the intersection, and the traffic lights only let one direction go at a time. You can easily get stuck there for three or four light changes.

Isn’t there something that can be done to make traffic flow more smoothly?

Jamie McGrew, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

Got $2 million?

That’s about how much it would take to fix the most congested intersection in Oxnard, and the city just doesn’t have the money, Oxnard Traffic Engineer Joe Genovese says.

Oxnard officials four years ago added to the city’s General Plan a proposal for big improvements at the intersection.

One aim of the plan is to move state-run California 1 from Gonzales to Rice Avenue. That would allow the city of Oxnard to work on upgrading the intersection without seeking time-consuming state approval.

But there are no funding sources in sight, unless a big redevelopment project decides to move into the area, Genovese says.

Believe it or not, over the past 15 years, the city has made substantial improvements to the intersection.

“It used to be a lot worse,” Genovese said.

Among the changes were rerouting A Street, which used to cross the intersection, and buffering the railroad tracks that run directly through the crossing. “You used to have to slow to a crawl to get over the tracks,” Genovese said.

In addition, the city added left-turn lanes at Wooley, and re-striped Oxnard Boulevard for four lanes where there used to be three.

“We’ve squeezed in every possible lane we could get,” Genovese said.

The city hopes that a project now under way to connect nearby Rose Avenue across California 1 will divert traffic from the busy intersection and ease congestion.

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Dear Street Smart:

I have two questions about a speed zone.

Driving west from Newbury Park to Camarillo on Potrero Road, you pass a sign for oncoming traffic where Potrero turns into Lynn Road.

This sign indicates the start of a 45-m.p.h. speed zone for eastbound drivers.

It seems to me that the beginning of the speed zone for eastbound traffic would mark the end of the speed zone for westbound traffic.

But a couple of months ago, a sign officially ending the westbound 45-m.p.h. speed zone appeared more than a mile farther west.

Why don’t the speed zones for both directions start and stop in the same place?

My second question has to do with the change in the speed limit where the zone ends.

At the end of the 45-m.p.h. zone, the speed limit drops to 35, right before a steep grade toward Camarillo Hospital.

Why the lower speed when there are no houses or other apparent reasons for it?

Claes F. Wingard, Newbury Park

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Dear Reader:

To answer your first question, speed zones in general stop and start in the same place in both directions, Thousand Oaks Public Works Director John Clement says.

But it doesn’t always make sense to put the signs indicating the speed limit in exactly the same spot on either side of the roadway, he says.

Speed limit signs are placed where they can be easily seen and heeded by drivers. Clement says he tries to avoid placing signs near view-blockers such as curves, grades and foliage.

For the newly extended Lynn-Potrero roads connector, that means signs for opposing traffic were placed more than a mile apart.

“That’s where it made sense to put them, so that’s where we put them,” Clement said.

In answer to your second question, the speed limit on Potrero actually increases to 55 m.p.h. as you approach Camarillo Hospital.

There are, however, signs advising speeds of 30 to 35 m.p.h. to caution drivers to slow down on the curvy roadway, Ventura County Deputy Public Works Director Butch Britt says.

You won’t get a ticket for going more than 35 if you’re driving carefully, Britt says.

“As long as you don’t come spinning around a curve on two wheels, you should be OK.”

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Dear Street Smart:

What is the proper way to drive in the fast lane?

When driving on the Ventura Freeway, I often find myself driving faster than cars in the right lanes, so I move into the left lane.

I’m going too fast to be in the right lanes, but frequently cars driving even faster than me appear out of nowhere. They come up fast and tailgate, so I don’t have time to get out of the way.

One night, I was driving along and someone came up behind me and flashed the brights. Then the driver started swerving back and forth, so the brights reflected in my side mirrors and I couldn’t see to get out of the way.

Is this illegal and how should I react to these speeding drivers?

Wendy Smith, Ojai

Dear Reader:

The best response to rude or speeding drivers is to get out of the way, as quickly and safely as possible, says Staci Morse, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol.

“Most drivers are not polite,” Morse said. “You have to take the initiative by being observant and courteous.”

If you still feel harassed, you can call the Highway Patrol and lodge a complaint.

Both tailgating and brights-flashing are illegal, and subject to citation, Morse says.

Tailgaters face $103 in fines and are reported to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, says Phyllis Taylor, supervising accountant for the Ventura County courts.

Brights-flashers can be slapped with $76 in fines.

Drivers who fall victim to overbearing road hogs can get immediate satisfaction if they have car phones, Morse says.

When victims call as the incident is occurring, CHP officers in the area can be sent to the scene, witness the offense and ticket the transgressor.

Morse cautions, however, that all speeders are breaking the law, not just those exhibiting especially obnoxious behavior.

“Just because you are out in the fast lane doesn’t mean you can exceed the speed limit.”