Railroad Is Planning to Smooth Out Bumpy Crossing

Dear Street Smart:

The railroad crossing on Pleasant Valley Road at 5th Street near Wood Road in Camarillo is a bone-jarring car wrecker.

Can something be done to smooth out this railroad crossing?

There should at least be a sign to warn drivers on this heavily trafficked road.

Wendell E. Steiner, Camarillo

Dear Reader:

The bumpy road over the railroad tracks has not gone unnoticed by the powers that be.

In fact, Robert Brownie, county engineer, says he sent a letter to Southern Pacific railroad nearly a year ago to alert it of the problem.

The railroad should be making the repairs within a month, Brownie says.

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Dear Street Smart:

In recent years, the intersection of Rose and Emerson avenues in Oxnard has become increasingly congested.

There is more and more industry in this area, and yet the intersection is still controlled by a four-way stop sign.

Traffic is backed up morning, noon and night, seven days a week.

I am sure a traffic light would help.

Any chance of this happening?

Karen Murphy, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

Traffic congestion is a problem at Rose and Emerson avenues and a signal is planned for the intersection, says traffic engineer Joe Genovese.

But it may be a while before the signal is installed.

The new signal is part of a larger project to widen Rose Avenue from two to four lanes between Emerson and Wooley Road, Genovese says.

That project is being designed now, but it may take two years or more for the actual work to begin, he says.

In the meantime, the city has decided not to install an interim signal at Rose and Emerson, because it would cost upward of $100,000 and would then need to undergo a costly modification when the road is widened.

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Dear Street Smart:

I was interested in your column of March 27 regarding the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Bridgegate Street in Thousand Oaks.

Some residents had asked the city to put in a signal or a stop sign, but the city said there was not enough traffic to warrant it.

Two questions arise that were not addressed in the column.

First, why is the city monitoring the traffic on Bridgegate if in fact they are not going to put in a signal?

And second, I often wonder why the right lane is so wide on Westlake between Triunfo Canyon Road and Bridgegate.

Why isn’t there a third lane designated for traffic turning right onto Bridgegate?

Laurie Kazmer, Westlake Village

Dear Reader:

Just because the city counts cars at an intersection does not mean it is planning to put in a signal, says Jeff Knowles, assistant traffic engineer.

Every two to three years, the city counts cars on every street that handles more than 2,500 vehicles a day.

By doing this, the city knows where traffic volume has zoomed up and where it has remained constant, Knowles says.

Regarding the second part of your question, it is true that Westlake is wide enough for a third lane.

But, believe it or not, striping the roadway for cars turning right onto Bridgegate could increase the accident rate, Knowles says.

The problem is that traffic turning left from Westlake onto Bridgegate will see cars in the right-turn-only lane, assume those cars are turning right, and proceed.

If one of those cars is mistakenly in the right turn lane and instead goes straight, an accident could occur.

“Keeping that lane unmarked makes people more alert,” Knowles says. “People are more on their guard because they don’t just assume the cars are turning right.”