No Remedy for Difficult Intersection

Dear Traffic Talk:

When the city placed a new traffic light at the intersection of Dickens Street, Saugus Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, it stopped short of realizing what havoc that could cause, given the configuration of lanes on northbound Sepulveda.

Drivers turning onto Sepulveda get into the extreme right lane, heading for the freeway entrance one block away. However, after Dickens they are faced with a line of parked cars, forcing them into some dangerous lane-changing. That right lane should be right-turn-only at Dickens, which would keep through traffic out.

Also, after turning left (south) from westbound Ventura Boulevard, that intersection signal is always red, hampering a reasonable flow of traffic. Are there any plans to remedy these oversights?

--Ann Furia

Sherman Oaks

Dear Ann:

There is nothing to remedy, said Irwin L. Chodash, an East Valley District transportation engineer at the city Department of Transportation.

It’s not possible to make Sepulveda’s southbound curb lane into an exclusive right-turn lane because it serves as a traffic lane during peak hours and as a parking area when there is less traffic, Chodash said. There is also a high parking demand in front of businesses between Dickens and Greenleaf streets, he said.

Signals along Sepulveda are in the Automatic Traffic Surveillance and Control system, a high-tech system that uses video cameras, computers and sensors embedded in the street to adjust traffic signals. Sometimes a seemingly long delay at an approach to an intersection may be required to keep the whole system at optimal operation, Chodash said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

Avenida Hacienda in Tarzana has a charming rural feel, with its lack of sidewalks and curbs, but it has a substandard road surface and a severe lack of drainage. We can live with the quality of the surface, but the constant standing water on the street muddies up our cars something awful. Does the city have any plans to remedy this?

--Ruth and Bernard Priceman

Tarzana

Dear Ruth and Bernard:

You should report this problem to the city’s Bureau of Street Services at (800) 996-2489, said Robert Reed, a spokesman at the city Public Works Department. The bureau handles inquiries on services, such as street and sidewalk repairs, tree trimmings and the installation and replacement of street signs.

*

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.