Too Many Valets in the Valley?

Dear Traffic Talk:

Many evenings on Ventura Boulevard, restaurants put up “valet parking only” signs. Do those businesses pay a fee for such parking privileges, or is it a scam to force valet parking, since many of the side streets have limited nonresident parking?

Abraham Kleinman

Sherman Oaks

Dear Abraham:

No, restaurants do not pay a fee to the city to post “valet parking only” signs in front of their establishments, according to Dennis Rogers, a senior manager in charge of parking meters with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

However, some of the parking meters in front of establishments along Ventura Boulevard and other city streets were converted to “loading zones” so that cars can be dropped off for valet parking, Rogers said. These loading zones are reserved for businesses that don’t have sufficient parking around them, so they can use valet services if they wish to.

The city does not post the valet parking signs, he said.

“Along some areas of Ventura Boulevard, there is only so much street one can park on,” Rogers said. “When restaurants advertise for valet parking, it is an immediate service they provide to their patrons. There’s no scam.”

Dear Traffic Talk:

Why is the intersection of Devonshire Street and Tampa Avenue east and westbound so bumpy? It feels like a roller coaster ride. Any plans to correct this?

Mike Rouhas

Chatsworth

Dear Mike:

Keep your seat belt on; it’s going to be a bumpy spring. There appears to be some minor shoving of the asphalt surface at the intersection of Devonshire and Tampa, making for a rocky road for east and westbound drivers, said Richard Evans, a superintendent for the Los Angeles Street Maintenance Department. Expect a smoother ride by June 1, when road crews will correct the problem.

Dear Traffic Talk:

I see traffic signals erected at the most useless locations in Panorama City and Arleta. These locations have had static stop signs for decades.

Is the city running out of work and trying to manufacture more? How does the process become initiated? Can these lights be removed? How much does one cost, and who’s responsible for such a waste of money?

Greg Fecht

Arleta

Dear Greg:

The city installs 50 to 60 stoplights a year, with each costing $50,000 to $75,000, according to Irwin Chodash, transportation engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Area residents usually request stoplights to be erected in their communities. City transportation officials evaluate requests and are very selective, Chodash said. Lights generally are not removed.

“In fact, we get complaints that we don’t install enough signals in the city,” Chodash said. “And no, we’re not running out of work to do. We’re actually very busy.”

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Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley.news@latimes.com.