Left-Turn Traffic Light May Seem Long, but It’s in Sync

Dear Street Smart:

I have a question about signal timing in Ventura. It seems to take an incredibly long time to get a left-turn signal from northbound Mills Road heading onto Loma Vista Road.

The traffic is not heavy here, especially at night.

Couldn’t the signal cycle be shortened, at least during off-peak hours?

Kathy Munoz, Ventura

Dear Reader:

The signal timing is about as short as it can get, says Nazir Lalani, traffic engineer.

During peak traffic hours, the light at Mills and Loma Vista runs on a 110-second cycle, the same as most signals around town.

Timing the light this way makes it easier for most traffic to get through the next intersection without hitting a red light, Lalani says.

At night, when there is less traffic, the signal runs through its cycle a bit more quickly, he says. But the timing cannot be changed dramatically or it would throw the light out of sync with other signals nearby.

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Dear Street Smart:

What is the purpose of the newly painted “speed stripes” on Paige Lane in Thousand Oaks?

I’ve never seen these before. I can’t, for the life of me, see their purpose.

Just curious!

Lyn Meyer, Thousand Oaks

Dear Reader:

You haven’t seen those stripes before because this is the first time that the city has tried them.

They were painted on Paige in March as an experiment to see if they would help slow down traffic, says Jim Mashiko, associate civil engineer for the city.

The stripes, which run horizontally across the road for 1,200 feet, are painted progressively closer together. This is designed to create the impression that the driver is speeding up.

The driver is then supposed to be inclined to slow down so that the stripes pass by at a more even pace.

But does it work?

Yes, Mashiko says. In the days before stripes, traffic zoomed down Paige at an average speed of 45 m.p.h., well over the 35 m.p.h. speed limit.

Now, Mashiko says, traffic is traveling at an average speed of 37 m.p.h.

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Dear Street Smart:

There is a signage problem with a detour in Camarillo.

I was glad to read in a recent Street Smart column that the Carmen Drive ramps onto the Ventura Freeway are being widened.

But in the meantime, the ramps are shut down, and the city has installed detour signs to get drivers to the next freeway entrance.

The problem comes when you’re driving east along Ventura Boulevard trying to get to the next freeway entrance.

The signs that are posted are confusing. Several times I have driven past the street that leads to the freeway entrance. Friends have had the same problem. Can some more signs be posted?

Paula Hancock, Oxnard

Dear Reader:

Detours can be confusing to motorists who are unfamiliar with an area.

So in Camarillo, the city has posted three sets of signs to help drivers find their way to the on-ramp at Fulton Street, says Roc Pulido, traffic assistant.

However, after receiving your complaint, the city will check to ensure that the signs are visible, he says. And they may add a few more signs to help keep drivers from losing their way.