Delays During Switch to New Signal System Vex Driver

Dear Street Smart:

I am really tired of the stoplight at the Vons at Main and Garden streets in Ventura.

When you’re coming out of the Vons, you have to wait at this light for a very long time, even if there is no traffic in sight.

Has anyone checked this signal lately?

Maria Lemus, Ventura

Dear Reader:

The city is well aware of the problem that vexes you.

The seemingly unnecessary delay at Main and Garden occurs because the city is in the middle of switching to a new computerized traffic system, says Nazir Lalani, traffic engineer.

Some of the city’s signals are on the old system, while others are operating under a new system, Lalani says.

Until all the signals are linked to the new system, some intersections, such as the one at Garden and Main, cannot be adjusted to accommodate varying traffic flows.

The problem should disappear within six months, when the conversion is completed, Lalani says.

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Dear Street Smart:

There’s a traffic problem on Royal Avenue near Madera Road in Simi Valley that is about to get worse.

At the west end of Royal, there’s a shopping plaza parking lot that empties onto the street.

The problem is that the lot entrance is too close to the Royal-Madera intersection, and traffic hurrying to get through doesn’t always notice cars going into and out of the parking lot.

I have seen several jam-ups and near-misses because of this.

Now there are signs up for a new restaurant planning to open soon at the shopping plaza.

Will this problem be taken care of before the restaurant opens and traffic gets worse?

Norm Burns, Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

The mall entrance on Royal is, as you say, unusually close to the Madera intersection, says Bill Golubics, Simi Valley traffic engineer.

In response to complaints from residents, the city has painted a “keep clear” message on the roadway.

Since then, complaints have gone down, and the accident rate remains low, he says.

“I think marking the road near the driveway has made a big difference,” Golubics said.

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Dear Street Smart:

California 23 between Moorpark and Fillmore has been closed since the flooding in January due to mudslides.

When is it scheduled to reopen?

Ralph Davis, Moorpark

Dear Reader:

The road is open, and has been for about a week and a half, says Dave Servaes, maintenance manager for the state Department of Transportation.

But motorists traveling on the curving mountain road should proceed with caution. Although Caltrans workers replaced a chunk of roadway that crumbled away in the rain, the road has not been paved.

The paving project should be completed this week, if sunny weather prevails, Servaes says.