Long Lights Exist for a Reason

Dear Traffic Talk:

I have to endure two inordinately long signals on my way to work. One is [located at] southbound Haskell Avenue at Roscoe Boulevard in North Hills and the other is at the end of the Riverside Drive offramp of the Hollywood (170) Freeway in North Hollywood.

Is there any good reason why these signals should be so long during morning commute hours?

Joyce Johnson

North Hills

Dear Joyce:

At Haskell and Roscoe, the traffic lights are coordinated to move traffic on Roscoe, which is a busier street than Haskell, said Bill J. Shao, a transportation engineer at the city Department of Transportation.

The signals on Roscoe are coordinated during weekday morning peak hours to ease access to the San Diego Freeway, Shao said. In the mornings at Haskell and Roscoe, waiting time for southbound Haskell drivers is between 30 seconds and two minutes, he said, depending on when detectors or pedestrian push buttons are activated.

Engineers recently checked the southbound Haskell signal and determined it was timed appropriately because most of its traffic was cleared during green lights, Shao said.

In the second part to your question about the Hollywood (170) Freeway’s Riverside offramp, the timing of the green signal for eastbound traffic is limited at Tujunga Avenue, Camarillo Street and Riverside Drive because it’s a five-way intersection, Shao said.

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Dear Traffic Talk:

The intersection of Mulholland Drive and Beverly Glen Boulevard in Sherman Oaks at evening rush hour is busy and dangerous.

Northbound traffic on Beverly Glen crossing the intersection goes into a sharp left curve and faces into the bright sun, which hampers visibility. The westbound traffic from Mulholland going north onto Beverly Glen has a yield sign that motorists frequently ignore.

This is unsafe and causes gridlock at this juncture. The traffic light for northbound traffic is long and breeds impatience.

Is there any possibility of a right red arrow light at the westbound Mulholland connector to northbound Beverly Glen? Also, Mulholland, between Benedict Canyon and Beverly Glen, badly needs restriping.

Larry Korman

Van Nuys

Dear Larry:

This intersection is scheduled for traffic signal modifications and restriping, said Irwin L. Chodash, an East Valley District transportation engineer at the city Department of Transportation. The changes, which may begin within six months, are designed to improve traffic flow, safety and efficiency, he said.

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