Sensor to Make Stoplight Stay Green Longer

Dear Traffic Talk:

Tampa Avenue northbound at Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana is a four-way signal.

When the signal changes to green for northbound traffic, it stays green for about five seconds. But if everyone is not on their toes, not many cars get through--five at the most, but usually less.

Couldn’t the light stay green a little longer?

Gordon McBeth

Tarzana

Dear Gordon:

Based on a recent traffic count, that traffic light will be adjusted to give more time to northbound vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

The light will stay green for as long as 12 seconds, said Brian Gallagher, a spokesman for the department’s traffic lights division.

But drivers still need to stay on their toes to take advantage of the green.

Gallagher said many lights in the city are programmed to stay green only until they detect a lack of traffic, at which point they begin reverting to red.

The lights are operated by a sensor that reacts to cars moving across the intersection.

For instance, the light at Tampa Avenue will stay green only as long as the sensor detects at least one car moving across the intersection every three seconds.

The light will turn yellow and then red if three seconds pass without a car moving through, Gallagher said.

In many instances, slow-reacting drivers cause the light to turn red prematurely. Oftentimes, the light will turn green and the first car will go through quickly, but if a following driver allows three seconds to pass without moving, the 12-second cycle will end early and delay everyone behind that vehicle, Gallagher said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

We have been attending the Music Center for several years now, and when we attended “Miss Saigon” last fall, we came out of the Music Center garage, made a left turn on Hope Street and continued going north to one block above Temple Street, as we had done in the past.

However, the onramp to the Hollywood Freeway was closed and there were dozens of cars making U-turns to try to find another entrance.

Since then we have found, much to our dismay, that the onramp above Temple Street is still closed off. We have driven down Temple Street and Hollywood Boulevard until, finally, an onramp appears.

Does anyone know when the Temple Street ramp will reopen and why it has been closed for such a long period of time?

We would be most appreciative.

Phil Brown

Encino

Dear Phil:

The good news is that the Temple Street onramp to the Hollywood Freeway is scheduled to reopen with no restrictions in December, according to Caltrans.

The bad news is that, until then, the ramp will continue to be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., said Pat Reid, a spokeswoman for the agency.

Caltrans closed the ramp during those hours in order to improve the guard railing at the four-level interchange.

Until then, motorists should follow the detour signs pointing to the Broadway onramp, Reid said.

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