Safety Study Ordered for Landfill Road After Accident Kills 2

In the wake of a traffic accident that killed two people, Supervisor Kathy Long instructed county public works staff Tuesday to study ways to improve safety on a two-lane road near Toland Road Landfill.

“This tragedy was somewhat forecasted,” Long said, referring to landfill opponents who have long called for safety improvements on the steep asphalt road.

On Thursday, two Fillmore men were killed and a third seriously injured when a garbage truck leaving the Toland Road dump lost its brakes and crashed into their van. The accident occurred on California 126 at Toland Road, about 50 yards from Santa Clara Elementary School.

Long’s action came after landfill opponents addressed supervisors, asking for improvements.

“We’re not here to say we told you so. We’re not here to point fingers,” farmer Gordon Kimball, who owns property near the landfill, told supervisors. “We’re here to ask for your help. . . . People are dead as a result of that dangerous grade. More people will die unless something is done.”

Kimball said a truck safety ramp may have prevented Thursday’s accident. Such a ramp would be covered in sand and run parallel to the road with a slight upward grade. A runaway truck would sink into the sand and stop.

Kimball also suggested that a sign be posted mandating a 25-mph speed limit. The current 25-mph limit posted is only advisory.

Long said both suggestions are feasible.

“There are things that could be done quickly,” Long said. “Like the signage and maybe speed bumps. When the environmental report was done on the landfill, Caltrans said a runaway ramp wasn’t necessary. We need a new analysis on that.”

Public Works Agency Director Art Goulet said his department will work with Caltrans on the ramp issue.

“At this point, I don’t know if it’s practical or warranted, but it’s a methodology that could be employed,” he said.

Butch Britt, who oversees the county’s transportation division, said such a sand barrier would cost roughly $15,000. He and Goulet said their report would be completed in two to four weeks.

Bill Smith, general manager of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which owns the landfill, said he welcomed the study.

“It’s a tragedy. It’s a terrible thing,” Smith said. “We all feel bad about it. We certainly support looking at possible improvements.”

Toland is a county road, but Smith said the landfill would most likely be asked to contribute funds to any improvements. While agreeing that safety improvements should be considered, Smith questioned the motives of Kimball and others who called for the study.

“Gordon has one particular motive and that’s to close the landfill down,” Smith said. “I think that would be a tragedy to the county.”

Kimball said that wasn’t the case.

“We actually talked about whether we should say anything,” Kimball said. “We thought people would think we were insensitive and taking advantage of deaths for our own gain. But it would be worse to stand by and let someone else be killed.”