Intersection Flunks Test for Signal

Dear Traffic Talk:

Is it possible to install a traffic light somewhere between Colfax and Tujunga avenues on Ventura Boulevard? Berry Drive and Ventura would seem a preferable location. It is six-tenths of a mile with no traffic signal between Colfax and Tujunga.

--Irene Langton

Studio City

Dear Irene:

Following a study, engineers determined there is no justification for installing a signal at Berry Drive and Ventura Boulevard, said Irwin L. Chodash, an East Valley District transportation engineer at the city Department of Transportation.

Engineers studied vehicular and pedestrian traffic and reported accidents and found existing traffic controls are adequate, he said.

Traffic signals are installed for the purpose of assigning the right of way in places where there is a lot of traffic on both sides of the street, Chodash said, or where a more restrictive control of the right of way is needed.

Signals are recommended only for locations that show serious congestion or potential for accidents, and which cannot be remedied by less restrictive measures, he said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

Who do I contact to install speed humps in my community? And what is the criteria for installing them?

--Nathaniel T. Ono

Sun Valley

Dear Nathaniel:

You can call the city Department of Transportation’s speed hump program at (213) 580-5214.

To get humps installed, the city requires a request in writing, indicating on which street and within which limits residents want the humps.

Also include your name, address and phone number with the request and send it to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Speed Hump Program, 221 N. Figueroa St., Suite 300, Los Angeles 90012. You may also fax it to (213) 580-5580.

The city will send you an information package and a petition that a majority of residents must sign. Engineers will then inspect the location and determine, among other things, whether a speeding problem exists.

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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.