Long Wait at Woodley Well-Timed

Dear Traffic Talk:

The light at the intersection of Woodley Avenue and Ventura Boulevard in Encino takes well over a minute to cycle at 6:15 a.m., preventing vehicles on Woodley from turning left onto Ventura.

I have seen the light at Gaviota Avenue and Ventura (the next intersection to the east) cycle twice while I sit exasperated at Woodley.

Pedestrians who want to cross Ventura at Woodley must also wait, because pressing the button has no impact on the timing of the light. What can be done?

Gary Gittelson

Encino

Dear Gary:

The long wait for Woodley Avenue drivers provides an appropriate portion of green time to Ventura Boulevard, keeping Ventura traffic moving and allowing adequate time for pedestrians and vehicles on Woodley to cross Ventura, said transportation engineer Bill J. Shao of the city transportation department.

In the morning, the Woodley signal takes 100 seconds to turn green, Shao said. Woodley has detectors, but it still takes 30 seconds to two minutes to turn green. This is a typical design for an intersection of a major corridor and a minor street, which is intended to provide more green time for the street with heavier traffic, Shao said.

For pedestrians crossing Ventura at Woodley, the waiting time ranges from 30 seconds to two minutes. The duration depends on when the button is pushed, Shao said, and pressing the button more than once has no effect on the waiting time.

Dear Traffic Talk:

I travel Burbank Boulevard every day to take my daughter to school and the condition between Lankershim Boulevard and Whitnall Highway on Burbank is deplorable.

As much as my daughter thinks it’s some sort of “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” I’m certain it’s not doing any good to my car. Is this stretch of road up for repaving any time soon, before I lose my teeth?

Michelle Ingram-DeLong

Valley Village

Dear Michelle:

Better tighten your seat belt, because repaving that stretch of Burbank Boulevard has been put on hold. Crews must first complete a North Hollywood sewer interceptor, which collects sewage and sends it to the appropriate destination, said Cora Jackson-Fossett, a spokeswoman for the city public works department.

Unless the sewer project is finished sooner, the resurfacing work on Burbank is not expected to begin until July 2001, Jackson-Fossett said.

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.