String of Red Lights Is No Fluke but Result of Planning

Dear Street Smart:

Driving along Main Street in Ventura, I’ve noticed a fluke in the timing of the intersections.

Most often, it is smooth sailing when driving between Telegraph Road and Santa Clara Street. But every now and then, I seem to get caught in an endless stream of red. I’ll make it through one green light, only to hit red at the next intersection. And the next and the next.

Is there a problem here?

Linda Stevens, Ventura

Dear Reader:

What seems like a fluke to you is, in reality, a carefully planned schedule to keep traffic moving as smoothly as possible at all times.

The signals on Main are synchronized during heavy traffic hours, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekends, says Nazir Lalani, traffic engineer.

Then, at the appointed hour, the synchronization shuts off and each signal is left to its own devices.

What this means is that signal changes are triggered by the traffic flow, and cars on side streets do not have to wait as long for green lights. What it also means is that traffic on Main may not get a smooth string of green lights.

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Dear Street Smart:

Last year, you said there was going to be a stoplight change at Collins Drive and Campus Park Drive in Moorpark.

But they haven’t changed the signal lighting there.

Are there any plans to change it to improve the traffic flow?

John Acevedo, Moorpark

Dear Reader:

The state Department of Transportation has been grappling with problems at this intersection since the connector between the Moorpark and Simi Valley freeways was completed in 1993.

Once the link was completed, traffic at Collins and Campus dropped, making the long waits and complex signal configuration unnecessary.

Moorpark engineer Ken Gilbert suggested that Caltrans eliminate the double right-turn lane for traffic heading from northbound Collins to eastbound Campus. He also asked that Caltrans time the signal on Collins to allow traffic in both directions to stop and start at the same time, rather than staggering the traffic flow.

However, those changes may actually add to congestion and increase safety risks at the intersection, says Ray Ciriaco, Caltrans traffic engineer. The trick, he says, is to come up with a solution that will not end up making the intersection more dangerous and congested.

“We realize there are problems at this intersection,” Ciriaco said. “But there are no easy answers.”

Caltrans is investigating the problem this week.

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Dear Street Smart:

As an avid and experienced cyclist living in Moorpark, I appreciate the recently opened bicycle lanes on the Moorpark Freeway between Tierra Rejada and Olsen roads.

Having cycled those lanes between Moorpark and Thousand Oaks several times, I have found an access problem heading east on Olsen as I try to get to the northbound bicycle lane.

Currently, this left turn requires that I maneuver to the median, dismount and walk my bike across the westbound lane of Olsen. Or I can head up the road half a mile and make a U-turn. Either choice puts me and others at risk, given the density and fast-moving nature of vehicles on Olsen.

One alternative might be to allow cyclists to use the same on-ramp that eastbound Olsen vehicles use.

I acknowledge that this is not a risk-free alternative, but in my opinion, it is not as risky as the current option.

Phil Crain, Moorpark

Dear Reader:

Your suggestion would actually put cyclists at greater risk, says Bob Houle, Caltrans engineer.

“If we let people on bikes use the ramp, that will put them in direct contact with high-speed traffic,” Houle said. “This would not be a safe alternative to the existing situation.”