Some Camarillo Signals Thrown for Loop by Road Work

Dear Street Smart:

I want to report what I think is a problem with a signal in Camarillo that is at the main entrance to Leisure Village.

The light at Santa Rosa Road will change from green to yellow to red for about two seconds, and then it immediately goes to green again. This happens even when there are no cars waiting to enter Santa Rosa Road from Leisure Village.

This is a problem because since there are no cars waiting at Santa Rosa Road, it slows down traffic. I hope you can deal with this.

David Sanchez

Camarillo

Dear Reader:

Camarillo traffic engineer Tom Fox said that the timing at many of the signals around town has been altered recently because of an ongoing road improvement project throughout the city.

Contractors are in the midst of resurfacing many of the major roadways, including Santa Rosa Road, Fox said. Typically, when roads are resurfaced, the loop--the device which regulates the timing at each of the various signals--is interrupted, he said.

“Those signals have been disrupted as part of the project,” said Fox, who added that the work should be completed along that stretch of Santa Rosa Road by this week.

By the way, Fox said the traffic light along Santa Rosa Road is designed to give preference to drivers along Santa Rosa Road.

“We do give priority to Santa Rosa Road, so if there’s no traffic at the Leisure Village gate, the light won’t turn green,” he said.

Dear Street Smart:

When will Caltrans fix the overcrossings on the Ventura Freeway both north and south between Topanga and North Hollywood?

I drive an 18-wheel truck and these overcrossings have made me airborne, broken my springs and main frame and damaged my drawbar, which broke my trailer loose from my truck.

That could have killed somebody. These overpasses are very bad and very dangerous.

R. Green

Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

The short answer is no time soon.

State Department of Transportation engineers are aware of the sudden bumps that are so prevalent at many of the spots where the Ventura Freeway passes over surface streets between Ventura and Los Angeles. They even have a plan to smooth them over.

But, like so many government projects, the improvements must wait for funding.

“A project is proposed to smooth the pavement out in isolated areas of the Ventura Freeway in the San Fernando Valley,” spokeswoman Pat Reid said. “Engineers anticipate the project could be programmed in 1997.”

Unfortunately, it often takes years for projects to go from being programmed, or identified, to funded, Reid said.

Dear Street Smart:

This letter is not about a complaint, but one of recognition of a job well done.

I am a resident of Simi Valley and frequently travel Alamo Street between Stearns and Tapo streets. Over the past few years I have witnessed the frustration of many residents of the Texas tract as they wanted to exit but were faced with the heavy traffic flow on Alamo Street.

Recently, the city installed a street light at the intersection of Alamo Street and Texas Avenue, which is designed to allow easier exiting onto Alamo. My first reaction was that this signal would be very disruptive to the Alamo traffic flow.

But this was not the case, as traffic engineers have done a splendid job of making sure that the exiting traffic signal is operative long enough to allow drivers to make the turn onto Alamo. It quickly returns to green for Alamo traffic, resulting in a minimal delay.

A job well done should be used as an example for other situations like this.

Dick Howell

Simi Valley

Dear Reader:

Simi Valley traffic engineer Bill Golubics credited you with recognizing what traffic engineers always try to accomplish: the smoothest traffic flow possible.

“What the letter writer describes is how we typically time our signals so they rest in green for traffic on the major streets,” he said. “There are many timing settings that you can use on a signal controller. We select those that favor the major flow of traffic.”

Like many public servants, Golubics doesn’t hear enough about jobs well done. But he does welcome such compliments.

“It’s nice to hear that someone thinks we’re doing a good job,” he said. “We have a thank-you file at work. But it’s pretty thin.”

Write to Street Smart, The Times Ventura County Edition, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. You may enclose a simple sketch if it will help Street Smart understand your traffic questions. Or call our Sound Off Line, 653-7546. Whether writing or calling, include your full name, address, and day and evening phone numbers. No anonymous queries will be accepted, and letters are subject to editing.