Driver Sees Turn for the Worse at Ventura Intersection

Dear Street Smart:

Maybe you can explain the changes they have made recently to the intersection of Loma Vista Road and Main Street in Ventura.

On my way to the mall the other day, I noticed several cars turning left onto Loma Vista Road that nearly collided with oncoming traffic from northbound Main Street.

It seems like the old system was much safer, when cars could only turn left onto Loma Vista when northbound Main Street traffic was stopped. Now it seems more dangerous for all drivers concerned.

Why did Ventura traffic officials change the signal at that intersection?

Kayla Folkrins

Ventura

Dear Reader:

When Ventura city voters opted to continue the daytime closure of nearby Poli Street by Ventura High School, traffic officials started looking for ways to distribute the additional 8,000 cars a day that are using Main Street.

What traffic engineer Nazir Lalani came up with, among other modifications, was to redesign the signal at Loma Vista Road and Main Street.

“We used to have a green arrow going to a red arrow at the Loma Vista intersection with Main Street,” he said. “Now there is no red arrow.”

Instead, cars turning from Main Street onto Loma Vista Drive can make the left turn through the green light, as long as oncoming Main Street traffic allows, he said.

Dear Street Smart:

The parking situation in Seaward Village in Ventura is impossible, especially on the weekends.

That’s a big problem for many people. There are not enough spaces, and South Seaward Avenue is one of the few places in Ventura that has a lot of things to do other than downtown.

It seems to me there are several vacant lots that could be put to some sort of use. Does the city have any plans to clear up this traffic nightmare?

Liz Neely

Ventura

Dear Reader:

Ventura tourism officials and Seaward Village merchants are especially sensitive to the shortage of parking spaces along South Seaward Avenue between Pierpont Boulevard and the beach.

They have been meeting for weeks to bounce around potential solutions, although nothing firm has been decided so far, according to Debbie Solomon, public affairs manager for the city of Ventura.

“We’re exploring a couple different options with Seaward merchants,” she said. “The most likely one that would be implemented is looking at leased property that could be converted into parking.”

Officials hope to reach an agreement with the owners of the spare lots before the summer beach and tourism season kicks into high gear.

By the way, the city has taken other steps to encourage shopping in that neighborhood, adding a Ventura Trolley stop at the end of South Seaward Avenue and setting aside money in the budget for permanent public restrooms.

Dear Street Smart:

I call your attention to a sign posted in the city of Oxnard that poses a mental distraction from the task of driving.

Proceeding west from Ventura Road, 5th Street transforms into east-west traffic separated by a center island that continues to Patterson Road.

For drivers approaching this island divider from Ventura Road, the posted sign indicating traffic flow around the center island has been mounted upside down, thereby depicting a converging traffic flow rather than a diverging traffic flow.

I think the sign should be changed to its correct orientation, if for no other reason than preserving the credibility and intelligence image of the department responsible for posting traffic signs.

Jack Schienbein

Oxnard

Dear Reader:

Traffic officials in your city are quick to acknowledge when they have erred. And in the case of the traffic sign you asked about, city traffic engineer Joe Genovese said plainly that, indeed, his crew erred.

“This sign has been corrected,” Genovese said. “It had been installed upside down.”

Genovese welcomes input from Oxnard residents and visitors who may have questions about traffic circulation or other road-related issues in his city. You can reach him directly at 385-7866.

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.