It’s Time to Fix Signal’s Bad Timing

Dear Traffic Talk:

The traffic signal at Lorillard Street and Balboa Boulevard in Granada Hills is creating a very hazardous condition for drivers entering and exiting the Knollwood Plaza shopping center just north of Lorillard.

The signal is continuously green for north- and southbound traffic on Balboa unless someone approaches east- or westbound on Lorillard and cycles it. More than once I have had to wait two to three minutes to exit the plaza and go south on Balboa.

Often those exiting the plaza to go south make risky dashes and southbound drivers on Balboa, waiting to turn left into the plaza, have dashed wildly through a small break in northbound traffic, causing near collisions.

A short-timed interval at the Lorillard signal, possibly just eight to 10 seconds, in place of the present sensor system would eliminate the traffic hazard the present signal is causing.

Richard Kolodziej

Van Nuys

Dear Richard:

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation thanks you for bringing this to their attention. There’s a good explanation, says LADOT engineer Brian Gallagher.

In 1991, the signal operation on Balboa between Rinaldi and Orozco streets was altered in an attempt to reduce speeding, which usually exceeded the posted limit by more than 15 mph.

This included setting the signals so that side streets, such as Lorillard, received a 20- to 25-second green signal every 100 seconds, regardless of demand, and synchronizing the lights so vehicles traveling the posted speed or less would get all greens, but speeding motorists would get a series of reds.

During a recent construction project near Lorillard, however, this signal operation had to be temporarily abandoned to minimize the impact of the lane closures on traffic flow.

Unfortunately, says Gallagher, his staff was never notified that the construction had ended.

Look for the pre-construction signal timing to be restored at Lorillard within a few days.

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Dear Traffic Talk:

Why was there never installed a complete set of transition ramps at the 5-134 and 134-101-170 freeway interchanges? These are highly traveled routes and I am puzzled as to why a transition ramp was never installed. For example, you cannot go from the 134 west onto the 101 south. Does Caltrans have any future plans for these?

Steven Pruett

Glendale

Dear Steven:

The original projection didn’t show a lot of traffic in those directions so the interchanges weren’t built, says Caltrans spokesman Presley Burroughs.

“We’re talking back in the 1960s,” Burroughs said. “It probably has changed, but a study must be formally requested to see if a ramp is needed.”

You can get a study started by writing to Caltrans Project Development at 120 S. Spring St., Los Angeles 90012.

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