2 Arrow Lanes Would Point to Easier Main Street Right Turn

Dear Street Smart:

There is a potentially dangerous stretch of road on Main Street in Ventura.

Driving west on Main toward Mills Road, cars wishing to turn right onto Mills must quickly get over to the far right lane, which exists for just one block.

The problem is that when traffic is heavy, it is difficult and sometimes dangerous to try to make it all the way over to the right.

Although there are two lanes for right-hand turns, there is a special green arrow that applies only to traffic in the far right lane. Traffic in the other lane has to wait for the regular green light.

It would be easier, quicker and safer if cars in both right-hand lanes were allowed to turn on the green arrow.

Is this possible?

Ian McCoy, Ventura

Dear Reader:

Two right-turn arrow lanes would be better than one, says Ventura traffic engineer Nazir Lalani.

The city recently studied the intersection and found that there is enough traffic turning right that a second right turn-only lane would help relieve congestion.

However, there is too much traffic going straight to convert one of the existing straight-ahead lanes into a right-turn lane.

The only solution is to add a fifth lane. Adding a lane is a costly matter, and the city doesn’t have the cash to do it, Lalani says.

But if the proposal to expand the nearby mall is approved, the developers would be required to add the fifth lane to help carry increased shopping traffic.

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Dear Street Smart:

With all this rain we’ve been getting, I’ve noticed some of the streets around town are really taking a beating.

I’ve seen potholes grow on Main Street and also on Victoria Avenue and Telegraph Road.

Each time we get these rains, the potholes get fixed. But the next time it rains they come back again.

Isn’t there some way to deal with this problem once and for all?

Jan Phillips, Ventura

Dear Reader:

There is no avoiding it: With rain comes potholes. And with more rain comes more potholes.

There is little the city can do to stop water from seeping underground and pushing holes through the pavement.

The best they can do is fill the holes with a soft gravel mixture, wait for the ground to dry out, and patch it over.

The city of Ventura has a pothole hot line residents can call to report damage: 652-4590.

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Dear Street Smart:

I’ve noticed with growing concern as trees and shrubbery block the exit signs on the Simi Valley Freeway.

This is especially a problem with the signs at the westbound Sycamore Drive and Erringer Road exits.

People don’t see the signs and then they miss their exit. This happened to some friends of mine who came to visit.

When do the highway crews plan to trim these trees?

Kathy Lawson, Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

The highway crews will trim the trees as soon as all the mud and potholes from the recent rains are taken care of, says Caltrans maintenance supervisor Dave Servaes.

With all the wet weather, Caltrans is scrambling just to keep the roads open and passable.

As the lush green hillsides around Ventura County attest, the rain also tends to spur plant growth.

“As soon as things dry out a little, we’ll take care of the bushes,” Servaes says.