Signal Times Are Uneven by Design

Dear Traffic Talk:

Motorists traveling north or south on Fulton Avenue in Sherman Oaks speed to try to beat the signal at Addison Street. For north- and southbound traffic, the signal is set for eight seconds on red and 60 seconds on green.

If the signal could be reset to 30 seconds for green and red for both traffic directions, it would slow traffic and make this neighborhood livable again.

--Maylon Houston

Sherman Oaks

Dear Maylon:

The signal is operating correctly because it is designed for Fulton to show green unless drivers trip loop detectors or pedestrians push walk buttons on Addison, said Bill J. Shao, a transportation engineer at the city transportation department. Engineers speculate that drivers speed on Fulton because they are taking advantage of the intersection’s efficient design, he said.

If the signal is reset to give 30 seconds for green and red for both traffic directions, many motorists who aren’t speeding on Fulton would be unnecessarily delayed, Shao said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

Campo Road, between Providencia and Velicata streets in Woodland Hills was resurfaced two years ago--that is, except for my immediate block. Can you find out what is really going on?

--Lynn Segal

Woodland Hills

Dear Lynn:

At Campo, there is a dirt portion that remains “unimproved,” meaning city workers cannot resurface it, officials said.

But the office of City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who represents the area, is working to get the entire length of Campo paved, said her chief field deputy Lisa Levy Buch.