Questions and Answers About Your Commute : Railway Firms Must Keep Up Own Crossings

Dear Traffic Talk:

Who is responsible for fixing all the rough railroad crossings in the San Fernando Valley?

They keep getting worse all the time and nothing seems to be done about it.

Ray DeCamp

Northridge

Dear Ray:

Contrary to popular belief, the Bureau of Street Maintenance--which ordinarily handles street repairs--is not responsible for fixing the railroad crossings, according to Wes Miller, a spokesman for the agency.

Railroad companies operating trains in Los Angeles include Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, Santa Fe Railway, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Amtrak, Miller said.

Mike Furtney, a spokesman for Southern Pacific, said each company is responsible for the upkeep of its own tracks.

Residents concerned about a particular railroad crossing should determine which company is responsible for its maintenance, Furtney said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

Please explain why the diamond lanes on the Ventura Freeway are blocked in Pasadena.

I am new to this area and can only assume that it must be political. It doesn’t make sense to have them blocked otherwise.

Joe Baker

Burbank

Dear Joe:

Caltrans has closed off carpool lanes on a two-mile stretch of the Ventura Freeway between San Rafael Avenue and the Long Beach Freeway bridge for seismic retrofit at the bridge, according to Pat Reid, a spokeswoman for the agency.

Caltrans engineers estimate they will complete repairs and reopen the lanes by mid-August, Reid said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

I have two questions about freeway signs.

First, some signs state the distance to cities. Does the number represent the distance to the city boundary or to some central point within the city? If it represents a central point, how is that point chosen?

My second question is about signs at city boundaries that show the population and elevation. What point within the city is measured for the elevation?

Gordon Padwick

Agoura

Dear Gordon:

Caltrans engineers determine the distances posted on freeway signs by measuring to central points within cities, according to Reid.

The traditional central points are city halls or centers of a community’s downtown area, she said.

The elevation statistics posted on state routes usually reflect measurements taken at city hall buildings or post offices, Reid said.

A response to a question in last week’s column contained incorrect information provided to The Times.

The letter concerned the legality of driving in carpool lanes at metered freeway onramps.

The answer should have said that a light changing between green and red at a metered onramp indicates a functional meter and normal carpool rules apply, according to Reid.

It is also illegal, Reid said, for single-occupant vehicles to use the carpool lanes if the meter has a constant green light.

When the meter is black--dysfunctional--all motorists may drive onto carpool and normal lanes, Reid said.

Traffic Talk appears every Friday. Submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, Calif. 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. To record your comments, call (818) 772-3303. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley@latimes.com