Right-Turn Lane Would Cause Problems, Not Cure Them

Dear Street Smart:

To get to my house in Ventura, I head west on Telephone Road, then turn right on Portola Road.

The problem is that many motorists who are going straight also use the right lane.

Since they are going straight, they have to wait for the light to turn green. This blocks people like me who could be turning right on red.

This is an area with heavy traffic, and it seems that a right-turn-only lane could help move the traffic along more smoothly.

It does not seem that this would cause problems for cars going straight, since there are two other lanes that can be used by traffic driving straight through the intersection.

A right-turn-only lane would relieve frustration as you sit and wait to turn right.

Daniel A. Huntoon, Ventura

Dear Reader:

While a right-turn lane might relieve your frustration, it would cause major traffic headaches, says Traffic Engineer Nazir Lalani.

Limiting the use of one lane to right-turning traffic would cause backups during heavy traffic hours, Lalani says.

Some drivers planning to go straight who found themselves in the right lane would end up violating the lane policy by going straight anyway, Lalani says. This could contribute to accidents, he says.

In general, the only time the city sets aside a lane for right-turning traffic is when the lane does not continue on the other side of the intersection, Lalani says.

“As we build new streets, we are trying to provide for these right-turn-only lanes where we can,” Lalani says. “Sometimes we can squeeze them in and sometimes we can’t.”

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Dear Street Smart:

I cannot understand the signal at California 118 and Somis Road.

When the eastbound traffic has a green light, the westbound through-traffic has a red light.

The westbound traffic should have a green light at the same time that the eastbound traffic has one.

Meanwhile, cars turning left from westbound 118 onto Somis Road should have a red arrow.

This would eliminate long backups in the afternoons in the westbound lane.

Byron Smith, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

This question pops up periodically.

Here is Caltrans’ response:

Nestled in the scenic farm country west of Moorpark, this congested intersection has created quite a few headaches for the traffic experts at Caltrans.

The problem is the short 120-foot left-turn lane, used by many cars and trucks heading south from the 118 to Camarillo.

The pocket only has room for five cars. Large trucks take up even more space.

If the left-turn traffic were stopped by a red light, but other cars could continue moving through the intersection, Caltrans fears that the turning pocket would fill up and spill out into the straight-ahead lane.

This would block cars trying to go straight.

The bottom line, according to Caltrans, is that the left-turn sequence now being used is the best way to keep the traffic moving, even if it does inconvenience a few westbound motorists.

The county is considering relieving the problem by realigning the roadway, but no funds are available for this project in the foreseeable future.

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Dear Street Smart:

Now that spring is here, I’ve noticed that city workers are out trimming the trees and bushes along the main streets through Simi Valley.

In theory this is a good thing. Trees that get overgrown can cause visibility problems.

But I have to ask, why are these guys out there in peak traffic hours? They seem to have to close down a lane or two to do their work. This never fails to cause traffic backups.

It can also be a hazard, as some drivers get very impatient and try risky maneuvers.

As the days get longer, why can’t this tree-trimming work be done at the crack of dawn or right before dark, when there is less traffic?

It seems like this would make more sense.

Harvey Lynch, Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

Believe it or not, the city does try to schedule tree-trimming at times when traffic is light, says Traffic Engineer Bill Golubics.

On residential streets, work begins at 7:30 a.m. and should be completed by 3:30 p.m., he says.

Most tree-trimming work on major streets is done between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.--after the morning rush and before drivers return home in the evening.

In recent weeks, the city had to shut down a lane or two on Los Angeles Avenue while it removed old trees whose roots were cracking the sidewalk, Golubics says.

“That was a big project and not a normal occurrence,” Golubics says. “Whenever we are out there, we do try to confine the work to non-peak traffic hours.”