Signals Installed Too Close Do Not Solve Safety Problem

Dear Street Smart:

The new road construction in the Saticoy area has created a traffic hazard I’m hoping can be fixed.

Turning from Violeta Street onto the new stretch of California 118 is very dangerous. There is a bend in the 118, right before Violeta, so visibility is not good.

Twice in the past two weeks, I’ve pulled out onto the 118 and almost been hit by traffic that I couldn’t see coming.

Would it be possible to install a signal at this intersection?

Frank Ybarra, Saticoy

Dear Reader:

Adding a signal would not solve the safety problem, project manager Lou Quan says.

Because of construction, the state Department of Transportation has already installed a signal at the intersection of Telephone Road and the 118, just 400 feet to the west.

“It is not good engineering to install two signals so close together,” Quan said. “But if residents still want a signal after all the construction work is completed, we could reconsider.”

In the meantime, Quan suggests that you enter the 118 from the Telephone Road intersection.

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Dear Street Smart:

Please help me clear up a question about a street name that has been causing some confusion.

I always thought that the street I live on was called North Dos Caminos Avenue .

The street signs back me up on this.

But in the U. S. Post Office ZIP code book, it’s listed as North Dos Caminos Street .

Who is correct?

Arnold Roth, Ventura

Dear Reader:

You are.

City Traffic Engineer Nazir Lalani says the proper name of the road is North Dos Caminos Avenue.

“According to all the city maps, it’s an avenue,” Lalani said.

A post office spokesman said the error will be corrected.

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Dear Street Smart:

As a business owner in Simi Valley, my company is concerned about a chronic parking problem on East Los Angeles Avenue between Tapo Street and Ralston Avenue.

For the past year, another local company has been using the curb in front of my business to park three moving vans.

These vans cause a safety problem by blocking visibility for cars and trucks leaving the driveway and heading onto busy Los Angeles Avenue.

But when I asked the company to move its vans, they said there is no other safe place to park.

Would it be possible to limit parking along this stretch of Los Angeles Avenue?

Wendy Adler, Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

The problem is solved.

The Simi Valley City Council at its meeting last week agreed that the vans were a safety hazard and voted to ban parking in front of your business.

SPEEDERS BEWARE

The California Highway Patrol has installed a radar trailer on Santa Rosa Road near Penelope Place west of Thousand Oaks.

As motorists drive by, a large digital board will flash their speed.

The purpose of the trailer, according to Public Affairs Officer Staci Morse, is to “raise drivers’ overall public awareness and warn them of their excessive and unsafe speeds.”

The Highway Patrol may choose to reinforce this message by having an officer on hand to issue speeding tickets, Morse says.

The trailer will remain for about a month.